- Date
- July 2, 1988, 18:50 local (Jul 3, 1988, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Spring, CO
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4878SPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 8, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880702025029A
- Case key
- 17492
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
The plt and pax departed st. louis and stopped twice enroute due to wx. The plt was given landing clearance on rwy 17 at Colorado springs and the wind was reported to be from 190 degrees at 12 KTS. Witnesses at the arpt stated N4878S 'porpoised' several times during the landing before the nose gear collapsed. The plt was recently certificated and had a total flight time of 66 hours with 18 hours in the PA-32-260. The plt was involved in a similar accident in Kansas several weeks after this accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4878S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32 7100002
- Airframe hours
- 4,396
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cunningham, Charles
- Registered owner
- C. Cunningham/J. Brasser
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 20, 1988 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- TOP · Topeka, KS
- Destination
- COS
- Airport
- COS · Colorado Springs Muni., runway 17, 11,021 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 66 total · 18 in this make and model · 38 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 65 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4878S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.