Cessna 172M N5147N

Summary

On 27 July 1998 at about 04:00 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N5147N, operated by Flight Training, Inc., was involved in an accident near Franktown, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 July 1998 at 04:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Franktown, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.3801, -104.7500

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N5147N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Flight Training, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Watkins → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW98LA335

Nobody was injured.

Flight at an altitude insufficient to clear terrain. Factors were the pilot's failure to reset or correct a precessing directional gyro, his becoming lost/disoriented, and dark night light conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot flew to Centennial Airport to practice touch and go landings. He departed the airport traffic pattern on an easterly heading, tuned the no. 1 navigation receiver to the Falcon Vortac, and rotated the OBS (Omni Bearing Selector) to 350 degrees. It was his intention to cross the 360 degree radial (sic, 180 degree radial), and then fly direct to the Falcon Vortac and direct to Front Range Airport. This route would avoid the Buckley ANG and Denver International Airport airspace. After he flew what he thought was an easterly heading the evidence indicates it was most probably a south-southeasterly heading) for 8 to 10 minutes and noting the CDI (Course Deviation Indicator) needle had failed to center, he made a shallow 360 degree turn and looked for recognizable landmarks. He then rotated the OBS to go direct to the Falcon Vortac, 'reset the directional gyro to the magnetic compass, making a significant correction,' and descended to 6,500 feet msl. After flying this heading for a minute, the airplane collided with terrain 11 miles southeast of Centennial Airport. Weather conditions at Centennial Airport consisted of clear skies and greater than 10 miles visibility. The pilot said it was a dark night.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.