Cessna 172S accident near Englewood, Colorado, August 4, 2002
On August 4, 2002 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N238SP, was substantially damaged in an accident 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 instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight and his premature raising of the flaps, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2002 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N238SP · registry record · serial 172S8223
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction was flying the airplane from the right seat. He made four touch-and-go landings. The fifth approach was normal, with a flap setting of 30 degrees, but the flare was too high and the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot added full power and began to fly down the runway for a go-around. The instructor "adjusted the flap position and the airplane lost all lift and fell to the runway." The airplane slid across a grassy area and came to a halt on the taxiway.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 466 hours in all; 347 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 388 as pilot in command; 67 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 283 hours in all; 106 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 203 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 602.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 13, 2002; 66.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17R, 10,002 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 75 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KAPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.