Amateur-built Vans RV6A accident near Glendo, Wyoming, September 18, 2005
On September 18, 2005 at about 6:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Vans RV6A, registered N985JS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glendo, Wyoming (Thomas Memorial Airport). It was an air show or air race flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the nose gear during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2005 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Glendo, Wyoming · Thomas Memorial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Vans RV6A
- Registration
- N985JS · no longer on the register · serial 02465
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he had flown to a community sponsored fly-in. He recalled making a normal landing, but that is all he remembered. Witnesses told him that during the landing roll, the nose gear failed and the airplane nosed over onto its canopy.
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
- Flight time: 440 hours in all; 340 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 396 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 340 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005; 19.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,045 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 76V Glendo WY at 5:45 pm
- Destination: 76V Glendo WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 4,397 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
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.