Cessna 182Q accident near Glenwood Spring, Colorado, September 20, 2007
On September 20, 2007 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N97996, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glenwood Spring, Colorado (Glenwood Springs Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to go around when it became apparent that he could not land and stop the airplane on the remaining runway. Factors contributing to the accident were the tailwind and the gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2007 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Glenwood Spring, Colorado · Glenwood Springs Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N97996 · no longer on the register · serial 18267274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing the airplane on runway 32 (3,305 feet by 50 feet, dry, asphalt). As the airplane crossed over the runway threshold, the pilot heard a warning for wind shear over the UNICOM. The pilot reported the "wind changed to a tailwind which caused us to float down the runway and [the pilot] had difficulty getting the airplane down." The airplane departed the end of the runway and impacted terrain. During the excursion, the nose landing gear separated from the airframe, and the airplane came to rest upright. Winds at the time of the accident were reported as variable and gusty.
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: 99 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GUC Gunnison CO
- Destination: GWS Glenwood Spring CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N97996 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.