What happened
On April 19, 2022, at approximately 11:30 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N, registration N711DA, was involved in an accident near Centennial, Colorado. The aircraft was being operated by Aspen Flying Club as part of a Part 91 instructional flight.
After practicing several maneuvers, the flight instructor and student pilot were cleared for a straight-in approach to runway 28 at Centennial Airport (APA). The student pilot landed the aircraft under the supervision of the instructor. Following touchdown, the airplane began veering to the right of the runway centerline as the speed decreased. The student pilot attempted to correct the deviation with left rudder input, but the rightward veer continued.
The flight instructor then took control of the aircraft, applying both left rudder and the brakes. During this time, the instructor reported hearing a rumbling noise originating from the nosewheel area. The instructor applied back pressure to prevent the nosewheel from contacting the ground; however, the nosewheel struck a taxiway sign before the aircraft came to a rest in a ditch. There were no injuries to the flight instructor or the student pilot.
The investigation
A post-accident visual examination of the flight controls, brakes, and nosewheel steering found no defects or abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer, the right main landing gear, and the nosewheel strut.