- Date
- November 10, 2003, 12:05 local (19:05 UTC)
- Place
- Johnstown, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6961NCessna T210N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20031110031849I
- Case key
- 58321
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors contributing to the accident were the gusting crosswinds.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was landing to the north. On rollout, approximately halfway down the runway, he encountered a "severe gust of wind from the west." The pilot said the airplane "weathervaned" and went off of the runway, collapsing the nose gear and substantially damaging the nose gear, nose gear bulkheads, cowling, and propeller. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies. The wind conditions at the Greeley-Weld Country Airport, Greeley, Colorado, 17 miles northeast of the accident site were 270 degrees at 17 knots with gusts to 21 knots.
Factual narrative
On November 10, 2003, at approximately 1205 mountain standard time, a Cessna T210N, N6961N, was substantially damaged during landing roll on a private airstrip, 2 miles southwest of Johnstown, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole person on board and operator of the airplane, reported no injuries. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The cross-country flight originated at Yuma, Colorado, at 1120.
The pilot reported that he was landing to the north. On rollout, approximately halfway down the runway, he encountered a "severe gust of wind from the west." The pilot said the airplane "weathervaned" and went off of the runway, collapsing the nose gear.
An examination of the airplane at the airstrip showed the nose gear was broken aft. The nose wheel well bulkheads were bent and bucked. The cowling was crushed upward and buckled. One propeller blade was torsionally bent and showed chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems showed no anomalies.
At 1155, the wind conditions at the Greeley-Weld Country Airport, Greeley, Colorado, 17 miles northeast of the accident site were 270 degrees at 17 knots with gusts to 21 knots.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6961N
- Reported as
- Cessna T210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21063171
- Airframe hours
- 1,701.3
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-R, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert P. Starck
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 18, 2003 · 2.6 hours before
- Departed
- 2V6 · Yuma, CO
- Destination
- Johnstown, CO
- Airport
- Starck Farms Airstrip, runway 36, 3,000 × 40 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- December 16, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,406 total · 1,149 in this make and model · 2,406 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 17 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- GXY, 17 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.