Summary
On March 24, 2012, a Cessna 172P (N97LP) was involved in an accident near Colorado Springs, CO. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury, with 2 people uninjured out of 3 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane during takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent nose over.
The pilot reported that he rotated the airplane at 55 knots and it immediately started to drift. He heard the stall warning horn so he lowered the nose, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground. He pulled the throttle to idle. The airplane was approaching the crossing runway and there was a hump or ditch near the runway edge. He pulled back on the controls to avoid the obstacle, and the airplane became airborne and climbed to about 10 to 15 feet above the ground. The airplane landed hard and bounced. The nose landing gear caught in the dirt and the airplane nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CEN12CA200. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N97LP.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane during takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent nose over.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported that he rotated the airplane at 55 knots and it immediately started to drift. He heard the stall warning horn so he lowered the nose, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground. He pulled the throttle to idle. The airplane was approaching the crossing runway and there was a hump or ditch near the runway edge. He pulled back on the controls to avoid the obstacle, and the airplane became airborne and climbed to about 10 to 15 feet above the ground. The airplane landed hard and bounced. The nose landing gear caught in the dirt and the airplane nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane. The pilot reported that the wind during takeoff was “slightly from the right” at 9 knots gusting to 13 knots.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN12CA200