- Date
- September 2, 2004, 09:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Greeley, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6XJAviat A-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20040902022919A
- Case key
- 60161
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's improper in-flight decision to land on an unimproved surface and the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the soft landing surface.
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.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he had just touched down short of his intended landing site and was rolling out when the nose wheel became stuck in the sand. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted near the river causing substantial damage.
Factual narrative
On September 2, 2004, at approximately 0900 mountain daylight time, an Aviat A-1, N6XJ, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it nosed over during a landing 12 miles southeast of Greeley, Colorado, along the Platte River. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated from Longmont, Colorado, at approximately 0800.
According to the accident report submitted by the pilot, he had touched down short of his intended landing site and was rolling out when the nose wheel became stuck in the sand. The pilot stated that the landing surface was a "private unimproved site." The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted near the river. Both wing struts were bent, three ribs in the right wing were crushed and the rudder fin and vertical stabilizer were crushed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6XJ
- Reported as
- Aviat A-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1386
- Airframe hours
- 527
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1P, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 20, 2004 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- 2V2 · Longmont, CO
- Destination
- GXY · Greeley, CO
- Airport
- Private Strip
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 26, 2004
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 304 total · 235 in this make and model · 285 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- GXY, 12 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.