Boeing PT 17 accident near Aurora, Colorado, April 27, 1985
On April 27, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Boeing PT 17, registered N555JW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aurora, Colorado (Front Range airport). It was an instructional 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
- April 27, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Colorado · Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing PT 17 · all PT 17s on the register
- Registration
- N555JW · registry record · serial 75-2955
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT GROUND LOOPED WHILE LANDING AT FRONT RANGE APRT, AURORA, CO. THE PLT WAS RECEIVING INSTRUCTION FROM A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT LAND IN A NORMAL MANNER THEN IT BEGAN TO SWERVE BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE RWY WHICH TERMINATED WITH THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSING. THE PLTS HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR THE CAUSE OF THE GROUND LOOP.
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: 126 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 85 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,066 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 2, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,717 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W67D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Englewood CO at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N555JW 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.