ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 133732
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| Date: | Thursday 2 July 1998 |
| Time: | 20:40 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 172E |
| Owner/operator: | Brady L. Davis |
| Registration: | N7780U |
| MSN: | 172251780 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5787 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-300-D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Watkins, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | (KFTG) |
| Englewood, CO (APA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot landed at Front Range Airport, Watkins, Colorado, refueled, and waited 90 minutes for a thunderstorm to pass. He then took off en route to Englewood, Colorado. He returned to the airport shortly thereafter because he encountered 'steady state precipitation.' He waited for 30 minutes 'until the rain and virga passed and the wind [had] died down.' He took off from runway 17 into a 4 to 6 knot wind from 160 degrees. After climbing about 400 to 500 feet agl, he began to feel the airplane sinking rapidly. He maintained an airspeed of 60 to 65 knots during the descent, and the stall warning horn sounded intermittently. The airplane collided with rising terrain south of the airport. It was the pilot's opinion that he had encountered a microburst. At the time of the accident, Denver International Airport, located 10 miles northwest of Front Range Airport, reported there were several cumulonimbus clouds at 5500 feet in the area, with winds from the east at 20 knots, gusts to 26 knots, and peak winds at 30 knots. A line of cumulonimbus clouds, stretching from the northwest to the northeast, were moving north with rain showers to the northeast.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather which resulted in an encounter with a microburst. Contributing was the airplane's climb capability exceeded by the microburst, and rising terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW98LA295
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Mar-2016 16:05 | beaverspotter | Updated [Cn, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Apr-2024 06:15 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Cn, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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