Pool Cessna R172 accident near Victor, CO
On May 6, 2023, a Pool Cessna R172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Victor, CO. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 6, 2023
- Place
- Victor, CO
- Aircraft
- Pool Cessna R172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.651°N, 105.087°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230507114698
Official records · CEN23FA174
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 6, 2023, about 0935 mountain daylight time, an experimental Pool-Cessna R-172E (T-41B) airplane, N15188, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Victor, Colorado. The pilot and 3 passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the airport manager, the flight departed the Freemont County Airport (1V6), Canon City, Colorado, about 0920, with an intended destination of Centennial Airport (APA), Centennial, Colorado. Later in the day, the pilot’s family notified local authorities that the flight was overdue. The accident site was subsequently located the following morning. Airplane position data revealed that after takeoff, the flight proceeded north. The initial data point was recorded at 0924:54 and located about 0.75 miles northwest of 1V6. The altitude associated with that data point was 6,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The final data point was recorded at 0934:57 and located about 0.20 miles south of the accident site. The altitude associated with that data point was 9,400 ft msl. The accident site was in mountainous terrain about 15 miles north of the departure airport at an elevation of about 9,170 ft. Terrain in the immediate vicinity of the accident site rose to nearly 9,300 ft. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONAccording to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the airplane was assembled from spare parts and certificated in the experimental-exhibition category in April 2012. The airplane was originally manufactured as a Cessna model R-172E and sol
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to follow established mountain flying guidance, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with trees and mountainous terrain. Contributing to the accident was the airplane’s reduced climb performance at the elevated density altitude and the presence of moderate turbulence as forecasted.
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Browse: Colorado
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
