Aerotek Pitts Special S-1S accident near Crawford, Colorado, January 11, 2004
On January 11, 2004 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Aerotek Pitts Special S-1S, registered N362JW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crawford, Colorado (Crawford 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 directional control and his failure to maintain clearance from the snow bank during the landing. A factor contributing to the accident was the snow bank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2004 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Crawford, Colorado · Crawford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerotek Pitts Special S-1S · all Pitts Special S-1Ss on the register
- Registration
- N362JW · registry record · serial I-0056
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had entered a traffic pattern for touch and go landings. He reported a snowplow had made a path approximately 30 feet wide, with embankments on both sides. During the landing flare, the airplane drifted to the right. The right wheel caught in the snow and the airplane nosed over and slid approximately 30 to 40 feet before rolling upright again, substantially damaging the airplane.
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: 891 hours in all; 317 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 803 as pilot in command; 87 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 26, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 961 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 2003; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-B4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 99V Crawford CO at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 5,100 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MTJ, 16 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 N362JW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 DEN04LA037.