Cessna 172N accident near Englewood, Colorado, April 19, 2022
On April 19, 2022 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 172N, registered N711DA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Englewood, Colorado (Centennial Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot and the student pilot’s loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 2022 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1976 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N711DA · no longer on the register · serial 17268365
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that during landing, the student pilot was the pilot flying. The airplane touched down and immediately veered to the right. The student pilot attempted to correct with left rudder, but the airplane continued to veer to the right. The flight instructor then took the controls and stated she heard a “rumbling noise” coming from the nose wheel area of the airplane. The airplane exited the right side of the runway and impacted a taxiway sign coming to a rest in a ditch. The nosewheel strut, right main landing gear and horizontal stabilizer were substantially damaged. A postaccident visual examination of the brakes, nosewheel steering, and flight controls revealed no abnormalities or defects that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Runway excursion during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 650 hours in all; 279 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 491 as pilot in command; 160 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 3, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 19 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 893 hours total
- Operator: Aspen Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: APA Centennial CO at 4:24 pm
- Destination: APA Centennial CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from KAPA
Weather report (METAR): KAPA 191553Z 22015KT 10SM FEW130 SCT200 19/M06 A2976 RMK AO2 SLP031 T01891061
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on September 23, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Exam Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N711DA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.