Cessna 170A accident near Watkins, Colorado, April 11, 2007
On April 11, 2007 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N1258D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watkins, Colorado (Front Range airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total failure during landing roll of the right brake caused by severely worn shoes, causing the caliper pins to engaged misaligned. A contributing factor was the pilot's inability to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 2007 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N1258D · registry record · serial 19812
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been practicing touch-and-go landings. On his final landing, the airplane swerved to the right and the right wing struck the ground, bending the spar. The airplane then departed the runway. According to the FAA airworthiness inspector who examined the airplane, the right brake caliper assembly showed "severely worn shoes with uneven wear." The inspector surmised that when the pilot applied the brakes, the uneven brake shoe wear "caused the caliper pins to engage misaligned, contacting the rotor, locking and shearing the caliper assembly."
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 650 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTG Watkins CO at 7:40 pm
- Destination: FTG Watkins CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from FTG
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.
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 DEN07CA086.