Cessna 172S accident near Berthoud, CO
On February 27, 2017, a Cessna 172S (airplane) was involved in an accident near Berthoud, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 27, 2017
- Place
- Berthoud, CO
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.267°N, 105.154°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170227X30016
Official records · CEN17FA111
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 27, 2017, about 0741 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N2461N, collided with a reservoir while maneuvering near Berthoud, Colorado. The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was owned by McAir Aviation, LLC, and was operated by the company under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight that departed Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Broomfield, Colorado, at 0724. According to the operator, the purpose of the flight was for the pilot receiving instruction to demonstrate his ability to enter and recover from aerodynamic spins as part of his required training toward a flight instructor certificate. According to a review of air traffic control radar track data, the first radar contact with the airplane was at 0724:01 shortly after it departed runway 30R at BJC. After takeoff, the airplane proceeded north toward Longmont, Colorado. At 0734:30, the airplane crossed over Colorado Highway 66 at 10,000 ft mean sea level (msl). At 0736:12, the airplane was about 1 mile east of the Highland Reservoir No. 2 at 10,300 ft msl. According to calculations based on radar data, the airplane turned to a westerly course as the ground speed decreased below 40 knots. Between 0736:53 and 0737:07, the airplane descended from 10,300 ft msl to 9,300 ft msl, and the calculated average descent rate was about 4,300 ft per minute during the 14 second
Probable cause
The failure of the pilots to apply prompt and/or correct flight control inputs to adequately recover from the intentional aerodynamic spin.
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Browse: Colorado · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
