Cessna 182 accident near Hudson, Colorado, December 28, 2003
On December 28, 2003 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N5609B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hudson, Colorado (Platte Valley Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control due to an excessive crosswind component, resulting in an uncontrolled groundloop/swerve. Contributing factors were the crosswind gust and the soft, sandy terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 2003 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hudson, Colorado · Platte Valley Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5609B · registry record · serial 33609
- 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 was landing on runway 33 into a left 30-degree crosswind (later he said it was a 70-degree crosswind). "An apparent gust" of approximately 40 mph "caused the airplane to ground loop to the left side of the runway. The airplane departed the runway, "it appears the right wheel dug into the sandy ground," and the airplane nosed over. According to the Wind Component Chart, under the conditions described by the pilot, a 30-degree, 40 mph crosswind would produce a crosswind component of 20 mph. A 70-degree, 40 mph crosswind would produce a crosswind component of 38 mph. According to a spokesperson for the airplane manufacturer, the maximum crosswind component for the airplane is 15 mph.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,001 hours in all; 422 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,819 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 2, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 60 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,033 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 3, 2003; 29 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CO15 Elbert CO at 6:25 pm
- Destination: 18V Hudson OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 4,100 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point -4°F (-20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from DEN, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DEN04LA034.