Cessna 172N accident near Hudson, Colorado, June 19, 2005
On June 19, 2005 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733RL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hudson, Colorado (Platte Valley 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 improper use raising of the flaps. Contributing factors were the student pilot's misunderstanding of the instructor's intentions, the instructor's inadequate supervision of the student pilot, the density altitude, and the soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2005 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Hudson, Colorado · Platte Valley Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733RL · no longer on the register · serial 17268485
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and his private pilot student were practicing touch and go landings. The student did not turn the carburetor heat off or put up the flaps after his touch and go, so the instuctor took control of the airplane. He turned off the carburetor heat and he said he got "hasty" and retracted the flaps completely instead of in gradual increments. The aircraft experienced a loss of lift and touched down on soft ground and nosed over. The temperature at the time of the accident was 92 degrees Fahrenheit with a calculated density altitude of 7713 feet msl.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 7,800 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,747 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2005
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Services
The flight
- Departed from: 18V Hudson CO at 6:10 pm
- Destination: 1V5 Boulder CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,100 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
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.