Cessna 152 accident near Colorado Spgs, Colorado, October 4, 1996
On October 4, 1996 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N25772, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spgs, Colorado (Colorado Springs 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 attempting to exit the runway onto a taxiway at excessive speed. A factor was the pilot's failure to land the aircraft in the proper touchdown zone.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 1996 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Spgs, Colorado · Colorado Springs
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25772 · registry record · serial 15280774
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tower controller instructed the solo student pilot to expedite exiting the runway following landing due to jet traffic on a 4 mile final. The student attempted to exit the first available taxiway, which was over 4,000 feet from the approach end of the runway. While exiting the runway, the aircraft slid off the runway/taxiway into a ditch perpendicular to the taxiway. Performance information indicated the aircraft could have been slowed in a normal non-hazardous fashion, if the landing had been made in the first 1,500 feet of the runway.
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: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,060 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1996; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Emery Aviation College
The flight
- Departed from: COS at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17R, 11,021 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:11 pm from COS, 1 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW97LA005.