Beech D17S accident near Colorado Springs, Colorado, August 3, 2017
On August 3, 2017 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1944 Beech D17S, registered N44562, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Colorado Springs, Colorado (City Of Colorado Springs Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a quartering tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2017 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Springs, Colorado · City Of Colorado Springs Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D17S, built 1944 · all D17Ss on the register
- Registration
- N44562 · registry record · serial 6923
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane in right quartering tailwind conditions. After touchdown, with the tailwheel on the runway, the airplane drifted to the right and the pilot applied left brake. The right landing gear collapsed, and the airplane ground looped and came to rest upright near the right edge of the runway. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and that, "it got away from me, I guess."
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
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 19,485 hours in all; 304 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 17,923 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 25, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,264 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2017
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R985-AN-6 (piston); 3,807 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GUP Gallup NM at 3:00 pm
- Destination: COS Colorado Springs CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35L, 11,022 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 5:38 pm from KCOS, 1 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N44562 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN17LA301.