Cessna A185F accident near Boulder, Colorado, September 14, 2005
On September 14, 2005 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N4807, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder, Colorado (Boulder Municipal 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 improper flare which resulted in a hard landing and his subsequent failure to recover from the bounced landing. Contributing factors were the pilot's improper in-flight decision to land in deteriorating weather conditions, turbulence associated with thunderstorms, tailwind, and the wet runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2005 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Colorado · Boulder Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4807 · no longer on the register · serial 18503532
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the final approach leg, the airplane encountered "light to moderate" turbulence and the airspeed "dropped." The pilot stated that the airplane touched down on the right main landing gear and the airplane proceeded to bounce. Both main gears touched down on the wet runway and the airplane drifted from left to right. The airplane became airborne and "turned approximately 10 to 15 degrees to the right and almost instantly set back down on the runway." The pilot said he applied full right aileron and full left rudder and the airplane turned sharply to the right causing the left wing to scrape on the tarmac. The airplane exited the right side if the runway and came to rest oriented at a 90 degree angle to the runway approximately 30 feet from the edge of the runway. According to a pilot who witnessed the accident, he said the airplane landed with a "tailwind."
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 906 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,053.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2004; 176.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGF Springfield MO at 5:10 pm
- Destination: 1V5 Boulder CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 08, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 18 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from BJC, 9 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.
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.