Cessna T206H accident near Steamboat Spngs, Colorado, June 29, 2007
On June 29, 2007 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Cessna T206H, registered N72638, was substantially damaged in an accident near Steamboat Spngs, Colorado (Steamboat Springs/Bob Adams Fi 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
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with adverse weather conditions (dirt devils/whirlwinds) and his inability to control the airplane during that encounter resulting in the airplane impacting the runway, subsequently going off the side of the runway, and striking a taxiway sign. A factor contributing to the accident was the dirt devil.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2007 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Steamboat Spngs, Colorado · Steamboat Springs/Bob Adams Fi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206H · all T206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N72638 · registry record · serial T20608127
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing when his airplane encountered what he thought might be a microburst. His airplane had gone approximately 300 feet when the airplane's tail lifted up, the right wing came down, and the propeller struck the runway. The airplane then went off the right side of the runway where it struck a taxiway sign. During the impact with the sign, the left bottom fuselage, left elevator, and left horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot immediately executed a go around, flew the airplane around the traffic pattern, and landed uneventfully. An examination of the airplane showed no anomalies. The pilot said that he recalled approximately 2 minutes prior to landing the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) was reporting winds of 230 degrees at 3 knots. Wind conditions reported at Hayden, Colorado (249 degrees at 30 miles), approximately 10 minutes prior to the accident were 210 degrees at 12 knots with gusts to 17 knots. Twenty minutes earlier, the wind conditions were 190 degrees at 12 knots with gusts to 14 knots. Ten minutes after the accident the wind conditions were 210 degrees at 8 knots, with winds becoming variable between 170 and 230 degrees. The airport manager said that he had observed "dirt devils" on the airport prior to and after the accident.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Denver CO
- Destination: SBS Steamboat Spngs CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from HDN
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.