Cessna 414 accident near Leadville, Colorado, July 4, 2024
On July 4, 2024 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 414, registered N1652T, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Leadville, Colorado (Lake County 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
A loss of brake fluid for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in a loss of braking effectiveness during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2024 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Leadville, Colorado · Lake County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414, built 1973 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N1652T · registry record · serial 414-0432
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane’s brake system operated normally during the startup, taxi, and takeoff; however, while landing at the destination airport, he attempted to apply the brakes; however, there was no pressure on the brake pedals and no braking was available. There was also no pressure available on the co-pilot’s brake pedals. The airplane rolled the length of the runway. The pilot attempted to turn onto the perpendicular taxiway at the end of the runway, but the airplane departed the pavement and the nose landing gear collapsed. The nose landing gear trunnion and wheel well structure sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. An examination of the brake system revealed that the left brake master cylinder was nearly empty and no pressure from the brake pedal to the wheel caliper was available. The right brake master cylinder contained about 1/4-inch of fluid remaining. Pressure to the wheel caliper was obtained with about three-quarter deflection of the brake pedal. The brake lines and calipers did not exhibit any evidence of leakage, and free movement of the caliper pistons was observed. Both the left and right brake linings exhibited minimal remaining thickness with signs of overheating. Airplane maintenance records noted that the landing gear was worked on during the most recent annual inspection, which was completed about two months before the accident. The pilot reported that the airplane had flown about 40 hours since the inspection. The mechanic who conducted the annual inspection reported that the brakes were inspected and no anomalies were observed at that time. Although the runway excursion was a result of the loss of brake fluid, the exact reason for the loss of brake fluid during the flight could not be determined.
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 on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Damaged/degraded
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › (general) › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,732 hours in all; 696 in this make and model; 141 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 2,308 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 24, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,697.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 830 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 875 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALS Alamosa CO at 4:00 pm
- Destination: LXV Leadville CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 6,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.49 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KLXV, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLXV 041653Z AUTO VRB05KT 10SM CLR 17/M07 A3049
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N1652T 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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CEN24LA329.