Cessna 152 accident near Franktown, Colorado, February 20, 1984
On February 20, 1984 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89182, was destroyed in an accident near Franktown, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- February 20, 1984 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Franktown, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89182 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED CIRCLING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES. AFTERWARDS, PWR DECREASED AND THE ACFT DESCENDED. DURING DESCENT AN OCCASIONAL BURST OF PWR WAS HEARD. WHEN THE ACFT NEARED THE GROUND IT NOSED UP & DOWN ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN ENG PWR. WITNESSES STATED THE ACFT THEN ROLLED INVERTED, BECAME UP RIGHT AND PITCHED SOWN. THE ACFT DESCENDED INTO THE TERRAIN. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY MALFUNCTION. THIS WAS THE STUDENT'S FIRST FLT SINCE AUGUST, 1980.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,062 hours in all; 225 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 937 as pilot in command; 569 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,288 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 1984; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aspen Air Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 9:38 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from APA, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.