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CEN25LA027

2024-10-24 · Falcon, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FLY

Current FAA registration · N62740

Make / Model
CESSNA 172P
Year of manufacture
1981 · 43 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19810924
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8333B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with a taxiway sign.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that his student was performing a simulated soft-field takeoff from a paved runway. During the takeoff roll, about 25 to 30 knots, the airplane veered left of runway centerline and began to liftoff. The student overcorrected to the right, the airplane bounced, and exited the right side of the runway. The flight instructor directed the student to reduce the power to idle as the airplane struck a taxiway sign. The flight instructor then took over the flight controls and landed the airplane back on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage. The instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Sign/marker-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_CEN25LA027.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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