Accident Overview
On April 19, 2022, at about 1130 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, registration N711DA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Centennial, Colorado. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
Sequence of Events
The flight instructor reported that she and the student pilot were cleared for a straight-in approach to runway 28 at Centennial Airport (APA). The student pilot landed the airplane on the runway under her supervision. After touchdown, the airplane began veering right of the centerline as its speed slowed. The student pilot attempted to apply left rudder input to counter the veer, but the airplane continued to veer right. The flight instructor then took control and applied left rudder and brakes, but the right veering continued. The flight instructor heard a rumbling noise from the nosewheel at that point and added back pressure to keep the nose off the ground. The airplane's nosewheel then hit a taxiway sign before the airplane came to rest in a ditch.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident visual examination of the brakes, nosewheel steering, and flight controls revealed no abnormalities or defects that would have precluded normal operation.