NTSB Factual Report

On July 3, 2001, at 1252 mountain daylight time, N66076, a Cessna 172Q, owned by EDB Air, Inc., and operated by Wings of Denver, both of Englewood, Colorado, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while landing at Centennial Airport, Englewood Colorado. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Fort Collins/Loveland Airport approximately 1215.

The following is based on a telephone conversation with the pilot and the accident report she submitted. The pilot was returning from a solo cross-country flight and had been cleared to land on runway 35L. The wind was from 100 degrees at 12 knots. The airplane touched down and bounced several times. The nose landing gear was driven up into the firewall and the airplane skidded to a halt on the runway. According to the salvage crew that retrieved the airplane, the cockpit floorboard was also buckled.

The pilot said she departed the Fort Collins/Loveland Airport at 1130 and the accident occurred at 1200. According to control tower personnel, the accident occurred at 1252.

At 1253, the recorded wind at Centennial Airport was from 090 degrees at 12 knots. The demonstrated crosswind component of the Cessna 172Q is 15 knots. Using the official recorded wind and the wind reported by the pilot, there was a right quartering (100-110 degrees) tailwind, a 4-knot tailwind component, and an 11-knot crosswind component.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's failure to properly recover from a bounced landing. A contributing factor were the adverse wind conditions.