Cessna 172P accident near Falcon, Colorado, October 24, 2024
On October 24, 2024 at about 2:50 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna 172P, registered N62740, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Falcon, Colorado (Meadow Lake 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with a taxiway sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2024 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Falcon, Colorado · Meadow Lake Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P, built 1981 · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N62740 · registry record · serial 17275331
- 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 his student was performing a simulated soft-field takeoff from a paved runway. During the takeoff roll, about 25 to 30 knots, the airplane veered left of runway centerline and began to liftoff. The student overcorrected to the right, the airplane bounced, and exited the right side of the runway. The flight instructor directed the student to reduce the power to idle as the airplane struck a taxiway sign. The flight instructor then took over the flight controls and landed the airplane back on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage. The instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 846.4 hours in all; 99.5 in this make and model; 138.9 in the last 90 days; 48.1 in the last 30 days; 775.4 as pilot in command; 479 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 27, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 162.3 hours in all; 79.8 in this make and model; 24.4 in the last 90 days; 6.2 in the last 30 days; 26.7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,990.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 11, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 2,990 hours total
- Operator: Doomac LLC DBA
The flight
- Departed from: FLY Colorado Springs CO at 2:45 pm
- Destination: FLY Colorado Springs CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 6,001 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 am from KFLY
Weather report (METAR): METAR KFLY 241455Z AUTO 28008KT 10SM CLR 16/M05 A3004 RMK AO2 T01611054=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 21, 2025. 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 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Student Pilot's Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Instructor's Statement | PDF, 4 pages | 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 N62740 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.