Cessna 172N N738LQ accident near Boulder, Colorado

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during final approach with known turbulence present.

NTSB analysis

The pilot flew a round robin cross-country flight to practice touch and go landings at nearby airports. At one airport, he aborted the landing due to "moderate to severe turbulence on final." During the approach to the destination airport, he aborted his first approach due to strong winds and turbulence and decided to go around. During his second approach, the airplane lost about 200 feet of altitude following a downdraft. The pilot applied full throttle to gain airspeed. A wind gust lifted the airplane's right wing and the pilot applied full right aileron. The airplane's left wing, the left main landing gear, and the nose landing gear impacted terrain where the airplane skidded for 100 to 150 feet and sustained substantial wing damage. Subsequent to the accident, the pilot became aware of the airport/facility directory remarks for turbulence associated with the selected runway. Additionally, he reported that the airplane did not have any mechanical malfunctions during the accident flight.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14CA123 for the full record.