Bellanca 14 19 accident near Cortez, Colorado, September 29, 2024
On September 29, 2024 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 1960 Bellanca 14 19, registered N8851R, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Cortez, Colorado (Cortez Municipal 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’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2024 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Cortez, Colorado · Cortez Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 14 19 3, built 1960 · all 14 19s on the register
- Registration
- N8851R · no longer on the register · serial 76105-9-F
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during a straight in landing he forgot to perform his before landing checklist because he had not flown the standard traffic pattern. The airplane contacted the runway surface with the landing gear in the retracted position and came to rest on the runway. The pilot reported that he saw smoke and exited the airplane before a post-crash fire ensued which destroyed the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 25, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 20, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Contential IO-470-F (piston); 3,200 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DRD Durango CO at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KCEZ
Weather report (METAR): KCEZ 292053Z AUTO 27007KT 10SM CLR 28/04 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP152 T02780039 58023 $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 21, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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.