Cirrus Design CORP SR20 accident near Watkins, Colorado, August 25, 2012
On August 25, 2012 at about 4:58 pm local time, a Cirrus Design CORP SR20, registered N215VS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Watkins, Colorado (Front Range Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane while landing in gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2012 · about 4:58 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Front Range Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR20
- Registration
- N215VS · registry record · serial 1334
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings on runway 35. While on final approach for his third touch-and-go landing, the pilot felt a buffet and anticipated gusting wind conditions during the touchdown. About 200 feet above the ground, the stall warning horn sounded briefly and the airplane "dropped straight down." The airplane impacted the runway hard and bounced several times. The pilot added power in an attempt to go around; however, the airplane did not respond and impacted the runway again in a nose-low attitude. During the accident sequence the nose landing gear separated, the propeller was damaged, and the firewall wrinkled. Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Windshear or thunderstorm during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 262 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 202 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 22, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 962 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 8, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-ES6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KFTG Watkins CO at 4:10 pm
- Destination: KFTG Watkins CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 5:01 pm from KFTG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 21, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Telephone Conversation - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N215VS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-ES6 8,561 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,484 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12CA576.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.