Gulfstream G159-C incident near Denver, Colorado, March 25, 1982
On March 25, 1982 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Gulfstream G159-C, registered N857H, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton Int'L. Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 20 people were 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 incident. 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
- March 25, 1982 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton Int'L. Airport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 20 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream G159-C
- Registration
- N857H · no longer on the register · serial 88
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON FINAL APPROACH AFTER A NORMAL FLIGHT, THE COPILOT BECAME INCAPACITATED WHILE READING THE FINAL APPROACH CHECKLIST. THE CAPTAIN CONTINUED THE APPROACH AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING. AFTER THE PASSENGERS HAD DEPLANED, THE COPILOT SUFFERED A SEIZURE WHILE HE WAS BEING HELPED DOWN THE STEPS BY THE CAPTAIN AND THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT. HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE TESTS DETERMINED THAT HE HAD A CALCIUM DEPOSIT BEHIND THE RIGHT EAR THAT WAS APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAIN. A CHEMOTHERAPY PROGRAM EVENTUALLY RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. THE COPILOT HAD RECEIVED HIS LAST CLASS I MEDICAL EXAMINATION TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 36,000 lb
- Seats: 37
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls Royce DAR 529-AZ (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SHR Sheridan WY
- Destination: College Park MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 10,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:30 am from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 17 |
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.