Consolidated-Vultee P4Y-2 accident near Estes Park, Colorado, July 19, 2002
On July 19, 2002, a Consolidated-Vultee P4Y-2, registered N7620C, was destroyed in an accident near Estes Park, Colorado. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under public-use (government) rules. 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inflight failure of the left wing due to fatigue cracking in the left wing's forward spar and wing skin. A factor contributing to the accident was inadequate maintenance procedures to detect fatigue cracking.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2002
- Place
- Estes Park, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Consolidated-Vultee P4Y-2
- Registration
- N7620C · no longer on the register · serial 66260
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was maneuvering to deliver fire retardant when its left wing separated. Aircraft control was lost and the airplane crashed into mountainous terrain. A witness on the ground took a series of photographs that showed the airtanker's left wing separating at the wing root and the remaining airplane entering a 45-degree dive to the ground in a counterclockwise roll. An examination of the airplane wreckage revealed extensive areas of preexisting fatigue in the left wing's forward spar lower spar cap, the adjacent spar web, and the adjacent area of the lower wing skin. The portion of the wing containing the fatigue crack was obscured by the retardant tanks and would not have been detectable by an exterior visual inspection. An examination of two other airtankers of the same make and model revealed the area where the failure occurred on the accident airplane was in a location masked by the airplane's fuselage construction. The airplane was manufactured in 1945 and was in military service until 1956. It was not designed with the intention of operating as a firefighting airplane. In 1958, the airplane was converted to civilian use as an airtanker and served in that capacity until the time of the accident. The investigation revealed that the owner developed service and inspection procedures for the airtanker; however, the information contained in the procedures did not adequately describe where and how to inspect for critical fatigue cracks. The procedures were based on U.S Navy PB4Y-2 airplane structural repair manuals that had not been revised since 1948.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,658 hours in all; 1,328 in this make and model; 217 in the last 90 days; 93 in the last 30 days; 3,081 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 31, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,689 hours in all; 913 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 93 in the last 30 days; 5,707 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 23, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,346.3 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 14, 2002; 87.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 69,990 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Wright R2600-35 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Wright R2600-35 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: Wright R2600-35 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 4: Wright R2600-35 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.