Cessna 172 accident near Akron, Colorado, February 17, 2013
On February 17, 2013 at about 1:02 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6199E, was destroyed in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Akron, Colorado (Colorado Plains Regional Airpo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s physical impairment due to alcohol intoxication, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2013 · about 1:02 am local time
- Place
- Akron, Colorado · Colorado Plains Regional Airpo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6199E · no longer on the register · serial 46299
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A law enforcement officer observed the airplane in the airport traffic pattern just after sunset. The officer continued to monitor the movements of the airplane as it flew around the airport and returned to land. After losing sight of the airplane for a moment, the officer observed the airplane in a nose-down attitude on the runway and on fire. According to the pilot’s initial statement, he was flying the final leg of the traffic pattern when the airplane stalled about 10 feet above the runway. The airplane impacted the runway and then caught fire. In a subsequent statement provided by the pilot, he stated that at 10 feet above the ground everything was normal but then the airplane suddenly nosed down and crashed. Such an abrupt loss of altitude is consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was taken to the local sheriff’s office where he underwent a breath alcohol test. The reported value was .078 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit any person from acting or attempting to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft while having 0.040 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. The level of ethanol measured in this case would have significantly impaired the pilot’s performance.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 265 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 15, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,834 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2012; 45 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KAKO Akron CO
- Destination: Akron CO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 29, 7,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.