Pitts S-2A accident near Boulder, Colorado, May 24, 1984
On May 24, 1984 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Pitts S-2A, registered N80040, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder, Colorado (Boulder Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 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
- May 24, 1984 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Colorado · Boulder Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-2A · all S-2As on the register
- Registration
- N80040 · no longer on the register · serial 2084
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED IN A HIGH, POWER-ON APCH. ACCORDING TO A PROFESSIONAL PLT, WHO WAS A WITNESS, THE ACFT APPEARED ASIF IT WOULD LAND LONG. HE REPORTED THAT POWER WAS REDUCED AT ABOUT 50 FT AGL & THE ACFT STALLED, THEN IT LANDED HARD, BOUNCED HIGH & CONTINUED TO PROPOISE A NUMBER OF TIMES. AFTER ABOUT THE 6TH BOUNCE, THE PLT INITIATED A GO-AROUND. THE ACFT LIFTED OFF NEAR THE END OF THE RWY, BUT THE PLANE HAD INSUFFICIENT THRUST TO ATTAIN ALT. THE PLT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A DIRT FIELD ABOUT 3/4 MI FROM THE ARPT. THE GEAR COLLAPSED DURING IMPACT & THE PROP WAS SPINNING. ABOUT 10 PROP STRIKES WERE FOUND ON THE RWY BEGINNING ABOUT 1300 FT FROM THE APCH END. THE PROP WAS CURLED BACK & 1 BLADE TIP WAS GOUND DOWN ABOUT 1 INCH.
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: 128 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 69 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 394 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N80040 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.