Air Tractor AT-504 accident near Fort Morgan, Colorado, February 8, 2020
On February 8, 2020 at about 7:40 pm local time, a 2015 Air Tractor AT-504, registered N970FA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Fort Morgan, Colorado (Fort Morgan Muni airport). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in the left main landing gear tire bursting and the tailwheel assembly failing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2020 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Morgan, Colorado · Fort Morgan Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-504 No Series, built 2015
- Registration
- N970FA · no longer on the register · serial 504-4028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot on the controls in the left seat, the right seat pilot was familiarizing him with the airplane. The airplane bounced during landing on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered left, and he overcorrected to the right, followed by an overcorrection to the left. He applied heavy braking, and the airplane turned 120° to the right. The side load on the left main landing gear tire resulted in it bursting. The wheel rim then dug into the runway, the airplane bounced, the tailwheel assembly failed, and the tail spring steel strut then dug into the soft surface. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage and the empennage.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,824 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 2,726 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 19, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,186 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 18, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,331.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 2, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 9,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT-6-34AG (turboprop); 1,331 hours total
- Operator: CO Fire Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: FMM Fort Morgan CO at 5:40 pm
- Destination: FMM Fort Morgan CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,731 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from KFMM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 2, 2020. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.