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).
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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 2003 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Hudson, Colorado · Platte Valley Airpark · cases near this airport · 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5609B on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,832 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-L 19 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Platte Valley Airpark · nearest airport
- Kelly Air Park Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,857 since 1982 · 381 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,454 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN04LA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.