Cessna R172E accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, January 30, 2001
On January 30, 2001 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna R172E, registered N7905N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado (City Of Colorado Springs Munic airport). It was an instructional 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
the student pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind during landing roll. A contributing factor was the cross wind weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2001 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · City Of Colorado Springs Munic
- 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
- N7905N · registry record · serial R172-0296
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot (19 hours of flight experience) was making his second supervised solo flight. During landing roll on runway 12, the airplane exited the left side of the runway and impacted a snow bank. The reported wind was 060 degrees at 16 knots.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 19 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 5, 2001; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COS Colorado Spring CO at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 8,268 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from COS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.