Cessna 152 accident near Pierce, Colorado, July 11, 1986
On July 11, 1986 at about 5:52 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5121P, was destroyed in an accident near Pierce, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 11, 1986 · about 5:52 am local time
- Place
- Pierce, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5121P · no longer on the register · serial 15284881
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT REPORTEDLY DEPARTED THE FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, DOWNTOWN ARPT AT 2151 MDT, JULY 10, 1986, ON A LOCAL STUDENT NIGHT TRAINING FLT. THE WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED AT O800 MDT, JULY 11, 1986, IN OPEN, FLAT, CULTIVATED TERRAIN. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A STEEP NOSE LOW, RIGHT WING LOW ALTITUDE. THE CERTIFIED FLT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PLT WERE FATALLY INJURED.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,630 hours in all; 150 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 1,905 as pilot in command; 395 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,824 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 9, 1986; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3V5 Fort Collins CO at 3:51 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 am from 3V5, 10 miles away
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 N5121P 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.