Taylorcraft F21 TC accident near Boulder, Colorado, April 25, 1987
On April 25, 1987 at about 2:30 am local time, a Taylorcraft F21 TC, registered N2005C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 25, 1987 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Boulder, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft F21 TC · all F21 TCs on the register
- Registration
- N2005C · no longer on the register · serial F1012
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PLT WERE PRACTICING NIGHT TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. FLT INSTRUCTOR REDUCED ENGINE POWER TO IDLE AFTER TAKEOFF TO SIMULATE AN ENGINE FAILURE. HE BANKED THE ACFT 'STEEPLY' TO THE LEFT AT A LOW ALTITUDE. THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A WINGS LEVEL, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. EXAM OF ACFT WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PRE-IMPACT MACHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE ACFT. BOTH OCCUPANTS RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 652 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 639 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 728 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 21, 1986; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Boulder Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: IVS Boulder CO at 2:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from BJC, 7 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 N2005C 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.