Cessna 172RG accident near Greeley, Colorado, March 25, 1984
On March 25, 1984 at about 4:50 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6521R, was destroyed in an accident near Greeley, Colorado (Weld County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- March 25, 1984 · about 4:50 am local time
- Place
- Greeley, Colorado · Weld County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6521R · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0190
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THE GROUND DURING A NIGHT FORCED LANDING. THE ACFT HAD MADE SOME STRANGE SOUNDS AND STARTED VIBRATING AFTER TAKEOFF. A GLIDE WAS SET UP FOR A FORCED LANDING. SINCE THE ARPT COULD NOT BE REACHED A LANDING WAS MADE ON A DRY RIVER BED. EXAM OF THE PROP SHOWED 6 3/4 INCHES OF ONE BLADE WERE MISSING AND COULD NOT BE LOCATED. FAILURE OF THE BLADE WAS DETERMINED TO BE FROM A PRE-EXISTING FATIGUE CRACK. THE PLT SAID THE ACFT IS OPERATED OFF OF A GRAVEL STRIP IN NEW MEXICO.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,845 hours in all; 410 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 2,650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 994 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 1983; 127 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: TCC Tucumcari NM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 7,035 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 21,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:47 am from FNL, 20 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N6521R 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.