Northwing WS2 accident near Fort Collins, Colorado, June 13, 2004
On June 13, 2004 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Northwing WS2 (ultralight), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Collins, Colorado (Yankee Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing factors include low altitude, and the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 2004 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Collins, Colorado · Yankee Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Northwing WS2, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 13RRT
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had just departed an airstrip and was approximately 100 feet agl when the engine lost power. He attempted to return to the field and landed "perpendicular [to the] grass strip." During the landing roll, the ultralight struck a berm, became airborne, and settled into an adjacent cornfield destroying the ultralight and seriously injuring the pilot. The pilot reported possible fuel problems for the loss of power.
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
- Flight time: 52 hours in all; 52 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fort Collins CO at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 180, 2,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from FNL, 5 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.