Skip to content

CEN21LA160

2021-03-17 · Watkins, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CFO

Current FAA registration · N786CP

Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2015 · 6 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20150521
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AAA710

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff and the instructor pilot’s inadequate supervision of the pilot’s takeoff.

Factual narrative

The instructor pilot reported that he’d asked the pilot receiving instruction to perform a short field takeoff. During the takeoff, the pilot raised the airplane’s nose early obstructing both pilots’ view over the nose and the airplane drifted to the left. The airplane exited the left side of the runway onto wet, soft ground, nosed down striking the propeller, and then ground looped coming to a stop about 150o from the takeoff direction. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The instructor pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other person-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_CEN21LA160.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type. All research papers