Cessna 180J accident near Watkins, Colorado, October 26, 2003
On October 26, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N9794G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watkins, Colorado (Front Range 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control resulting in the ground loop. Factors contributing to the accident were the crosswind and the gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Front Range Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N9794G · registry record · serial 18052294
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he entered the traffic pattern for runway 26. He said his approach was normal and that he had 10 to 15 degrees of right crab to keep the airplane aligned with the runway centerline. The pilot said he touched down "on the center line at normal speeds for a 3-point landing." The pilot said, "After flap retraction and brief braking, I lost directional control." The pilot said the airspeed was inadequate to make a go-around. The airplane ground looped causing substantial damage to the left wing, left main landing gear, and forward fuselage. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The reported wind conditions approximately 7 minutes before the accident were 340 degrees at 16 knots, gusting to 20 knots.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,564 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command; 350 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 30, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,265.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 2003; 57.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MJT Montrose CO at 7:00 pm
- Destination: FTG Watkins CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from DEN, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 DEN04LA016.