Cessna 206 incident near Glade Park, Colorado, September 15, 1988
On September 15, 1988 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N71001, was involved in an incident near Glade Park, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 FAILURE OF THE #1 CONNECTING ROD ASSEMBLY IN THE ENGINE, RESULTING IN A FORCED LANDING. A FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT WAS THAT THE PILOT DID NOT SEE & AVOID POWER WIRES IN THE FORCED LANDING PATH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 1988 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Glade Park, Colorado · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N71001 · no longer on the register · serial 206 02115
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PLT WAS TRANSPORTING ONE PAX DURING AN AIR TAXI FLT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AND LOST OIL PRESSURE. HE SAID THE ENGINE SEIZED AND HE TURNED TOWARD THE EAST FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING, ON A PARK SERVICE ROAD. THE PLT SAID THAT THE SUN PREVENTED HIS SEEING POWER LINES ACROSS THE ROAD. ON FINAL APPROACH, THE PLANE'S MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUCK THE POWER WIRES, BUT THE PLANE LANDED WITHOUT DAMAGE. A POST ACCIDENT ENGINE EXAMINATION BY AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE #1 ROD ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED AND RESULTED IN TOTAL ENGINE STOPPAGE. THE BROKEN PARTS WERE ANALYZED BY THE NTSB MATERIALS LABORATORY. THE ANALYSIS REVEALED EVIDENCE TYPICAL OF FATIGUE FRACTURES IN THE ROD ASSEMBLY.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,420 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 1,124 as pilot in command; 10 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,362 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 22, 1988; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F9 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 1:30 pm
- Destination: CNY Moab UT
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N71001 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.