Aviat A-1A accident near Englewood, Colorado, May 15, 2006
On May 15, 2006 at about 4:30 am local time, a Aviat A-1A, registered N153C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while taxiing from landing, resulting in a collision with a refuse dumpster. A contributing factor was his physical impairment by alcohol.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2006 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1A
- Registration
- N153C · registry record · serial 00000
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off on the wrong runway. After flying around the airport for about 30 minutes, he was given clearance to land. He landed on the wrong runway. Tower personnel noticed the airplane making "doughnuts" (taxiing in circles). Sheriff's deputies found the pilot was found wandering around the tarmac. They said he appeared to be intoxicated. He was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. A sheriff's deputy who interviewed the pilot said his eyes were "red, watery, and bloodshot." He also detected a "strong odor of alcohol on his breath." The pilot said he did not start drinking until after he had landed. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage. The pilot said it was dark when he landed, and he was "taxiing too fast, over controlling, and not watching where he was going." Outside and near the hangar, a displaced refuse dumpster bore scratches and paint transfer marks similar in color as that of 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO
- Destination: APA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from APA
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 N153C 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 DEN06CA078.