Beechcraft C-45H accident near Aurora, Colorado, July 25, 1982
On July 25, 1982 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Beechcraft C-45H, registered N444Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aurora, Colorado (Columbine airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1982 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Colorado · Columbine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft C-45H · all C-45Hs on the register
- Registration
- N444Q · no longer on the register · serial AF62
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR BY USING EITHER THE NORMAL OR EMERGENCY SYSTEMS. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO EXTEND THE GEAR, HE ELECTED TO LAND WITH IT CONFIGURED IN A FREE-FALL POSITION. HE SHUT DOWN AND FEATHERED BOTH ENGINES ON FINAL APPROACH. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE WHEELS WERE FORCED UP FROM THEIR FREE-FALL POSITION AND INTO THE WHEEL WELLS, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LANDING GEAR SLIDE TUBES, SLIDES, AND ACTUATING CHAINS CONTAINED AN EXCESSIVE ACCUMULATION OF GREASE, DIRT, AND GRIT. ALSO, AN ACCUMULATION OF RUST WAS FOUND ON THE SLIDE TUBES.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,249 hours in all; 564 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 4,134 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,050 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P & W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3CO5 Strausburg CO at 12:10 pm
- Destination: F28 El Reno OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,500 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 203°F (95°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.