Cessna 172P accident near Longmont, Colorado, September 16, 1984
On September 16, 1984 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N6579K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Longmont, Colorado. 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
- September 16, 1984 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N6579K · no longer on the register · serial 17274216
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS MAKING A LOW PASS OVER A STRIP HE WANTED CERTIFIED. DURING AN ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND THE ENG WOULD NOT RESPOND SO THE PLT LANDED. THE ACFT RAN OFF THE END OF THE WET SOD AIRSTRIP AND NOSED OVER. THE PLT SAID AFTER THE ACCIDENT THAT THE CARBURETOR HEAT HAD NOT BEEN USEDD IN THE LAST 10 MINUTES OF FLT. THE ENGINE WAS TESTED BY THE FAA AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND IT OPERATED NORMALLY.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 130 in the last 30 days; 12,500 as pilot in command; 127 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,692 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 12, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Judson Aviation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from BJC, 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.
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.