Beech E55 accident near Fort Collins, Colorado, April 3, 2005
On April 3, 2005 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Beech E55, registered N3FJ, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Collins, Colorado (Fort Collins-Downtown Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing factors were the left engine loss of power for reasons undetermined, and the pilot allowing the airspeed to drop below Vmc during an attempted single-engine go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 2005 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Collins, Colorado · Fort Collins-Downtown Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E55 · all E55s on the register
- Registration
- N3FJ · no longer on the register · serial TE-879
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses said the engines were "running rough, cutting out, or backfiring and sputtering" as the airplane flew towards the airport. As the airplane made its landing approach, it was "high and extremely fast, one engine was windmilling, the other [engine was] running OK." He then heard an engine "spool up for a go-around." The airplane was seen to bank left about 80 degrees. At about 100-150 feet, the tail seemed to slip to the right and the plane banked further left and went inverted. The plane went into the building inverted and pointing slightly to the left. Post-impact fire destroyed the airplane and substantially damaged the building. Both engines were disassembled and inspected. Carbon-fouling of the top and bottom spark plugs from cylinders 1 and 6 on the left engine were the only discrepancies noted. Disassembly of both propellers revealed the left propeller "did not have power and was not feathered." The right propeller "was operating at moderate or high 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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,025 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,657 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3V5 Fort Collins CO at 8:00 pm
- Destination: 3V5 Fort Collins CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 5,300 ft by 44 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from FNL, 10 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.
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.