Cessna 182 accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, July 28, 1984
On July 28, 1984 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N4617E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado (Stevens airport). It was a personal flight 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 28, 1984 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pagosa Springs, Colorado · Stevens · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N4617E · registry record · serial 18268251
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TURNING THE BASE LEG, THE PLT VIEWED A HOT AIR BALLOON NEAR THE FINAL APCH CORRIDOR. THE PLT ELECTED TO MAKE A SHORT FINAL TO AVOID THE BALLOON. THE ACFT BOUNCED DURING TOUCHDOWN. THE PLT ADDED POWER TO RECOVER AND THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY CONTACTING A FENCE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,517 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 1,338 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 306 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 25, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAF Santa Fe NM at 12:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.