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Accidents · NTSB DEN86LA024 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Champion 7KCAB accident near Berthoud, Colorado, November 17, 1985

On November 17, 1985 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Champion 7KCAB, registered N1832G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Berthoud, 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
November 17, 1985 · about 9:15 pm local time · cases in 1985
Place
Berthoud, Colorado · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Champion 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
Registration
N1832G · registry record · serial 86
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE PLT STATED THAT HE MADE 7-9 HIGH SPEED TAXIES TO PACK THE SNOW ON THE GRASS STRIP, ABORTING MID-STRIP WHEN FLYING SPEED WAS NOT ATTAINED. ON THE FINAL RUN, THE PLT SAID THE ACFT AGAIN FAILED TO REACH FLYING SPEED AND DECIDED TO ABORT MID-STRIP. THE PLT STATED HE CLOSED THE THROTTLE AND PULLED BACK ON THE STICK, HOWEVER, THE ACFT DECELERATED QUICKER THAN USUAL AND ROLLED OVER ITS NOSE ONTO ITS BACK.

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; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 715 hours in all; 132 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: frt

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,192 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 1985
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0, 2,000 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 338° at 8 knots
  • Visibility: 8 statute miles
  • Sky: ovct at 5,000 ft
  • Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
  • Observation at 9:55 pm from BJC, 24 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN86LA024.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.