21 Feb 2019: TECNAM P92 EA (N108TE) — Aspen Flying Club — ENGLEWOOD, CO

No fatalitiesENGLEWOOD, CO, United States

A flight instructor sustained serious injuries after an engine power loss caused a training flight to impact a taxiway sign.

What happened

On February 21, 2019, at approximately 14:30 mountain standard time, a Tecnam P92, registration N108TE, was involved in an accident near Englewood, Colorado. The aircraft was being operated by Aspen Flying Club as a Part 91 instructional flight.

During the student pilot's initial climb from runway 35, the aircraft failed to climb or maintain a climbing attitude. The flight instructor took control of the aircraft, retracted the flaps, and lowered the nose to increase airspeed. Following a loss of engine power, the instructor attempted to turn toward runway 10 for an emergency landing. During this maneuver, the aircraft descended rapidly and struck a taxiway sign. The impact caused substantial damage to the fuselage and resulted in the engine separating from the airframe.

The accident resulted in one serious injury to the flight instructor; the student pilot was not injured.

Probable cause

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, as the engine could not be inspected because the wreckage was sold and moved prior to investigation.

Contributing factors

Aircraft capability