Cessna R172E accident near Aguilar, Colorado, November 5, 2022
On November 5, 2022 at about 2:21 pm local time, a Cessna R172E, registered N6051U, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Aguilar, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the engine cylinder assembly, which resulted in a loss of engine power during cruise flight and an impact with a fence during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 2022 · about 2:21 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Aguilar, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172E · all R172Es on the register
- Registration
- N6051U · registry record · serial R172-0183
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the personal flight stated that while the airplane was in cruise flight, he felt a pop or shudder. The airplane began to shake, and oil began to cover the windshield. The airplane lost engine power and the pilot then performed a forced landing to a field, during which it struck a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the engine’s No. 2 cylinder head was cracked. There were no other mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane 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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure other cases naming the engine
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 246 hours in all; 246 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 246 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 25, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,497 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LVS Las Vegas NV at 1:49 pm
- Destination: FLY Peyton CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 am from TAD, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Correspondence - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6051U on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna R172 Hawk XP 758 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A 601 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Las Vegas Municipal · departed from
- Meadow Lake Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,485 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA027.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.