Airbus Industries A319-111 incident near Denver, Colorado, October 10, 2005
On October 10, 2005 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Airbus Industries A319-111, registered N927FR, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Denver International Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 109 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the de-ice vehicle operator's failure to follow post de-icing procedures, resulting in a collision. Contributing factors were the fog, snow, and the de-icing vehicle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2005 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Denver International Airport · map
- Type
- Incident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 109 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industries A319-111
- Registration
- N927FR · no longer on the register · serial 2209
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was de-iced and the flight crew was given a clearance to taxi. Communications between the flight crew and the de-icing vehicle operator were inadequate and the de-icing crew failed to correctly follow their post de-icing procedure. As the aircraft moved forward, the crew felt a jolt and received an ECAM warning for flight control/slat fault. They also received a report from a passenger who stated he had seen the de-ice truck and the airplane's right wing collide. Weather at the time of the incident was 1/4 SM visibility, snow, fog, temperature 0 degrees C., and dew point minus 1 degree C.
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
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: airship; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,063 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 1, 2005; 1,182 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 155,204 lb
- Seats: 140
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CFM56-5B5/P (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CFM56-5B5/P (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Frontier Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 5:18 pm
- Destination: SAN San Diego CA
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 5:32 pm from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 104 |
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 N927FR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.