Davis Zenair STOL 701 accident near Aurora, Colorado, July 10, 2003
On July 10, 2003 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Davis Zenair STOL 701, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N20584, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aurora, Colorado (Aurora Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed and establish a climb resulting in a stall/mush and collision with the ground. Contributing factors were his premature turn onto the downwind leg, and the plowed/furrowed terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2003 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Colorado · Aurora Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Davis Zenair STOL 701, amateur-built
- Registration
- N20584 · no longer on the register · serial 1417
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was to be a pre-purchase test flight. The pilot said he took off and the airplane lifted into ground effect and accelerated. He saw the international airport in the distance and elected to make an early crosswind turn. During the turn, engine noise diminished and the airplane lost altitude (the pilot opined that the engine lost power during the crosswind turn). Too low to maneuver, the pilot made a downwind forced landing in a field. The airplane touched down on its main gear. When the nose wheel settled to the ground, ground furrows sheared it off and the airplane nosed over. The airplane owner witnessed the accident and said the pilot made a premature downwind turn while still in ground effect, and "flew it [the airplane] into the ground."
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,560 hours in all; 657 as pilot in command; 249 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 30, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Suzuki 993cm (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 01V Aurora CO at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,840 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from DEN, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.