Cessna 152 accident near Greeley, Colorado, November 4, 1987
On November 4, 1987 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49209, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greeley, Colorado (Weld County airport). It was a personal 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
- November 4, 1987 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Greeley, Colorado · Weld County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49209 · no longer on the register · serial 15281194
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RECENTLY CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PLT WAS TAXIING HIS ACFT TO RWY 9 FOR A NIGHT TAKEOFF. ANOTHER ACFT BEGAN ITS TAKEOFF ROLL ON RWY 9. AS A COURTESY, THE TAXIING PLT SWITCHED OFF HIS TAXI LIGHT SO AS NOT TO BLIND THE OTHER PLT. THE TAXIING PLT USED THE GLOW OF HIS WING TIP NAV LIGHTS TO SEE WHERE HE WAS GOING AND CONTINUED TAXIING. THERE WAS A SHARP CURVE IN THE TAXIWAY THAT THE PLT DID NOT SEE. THE ACFT TAXIED OFF THE TAXIWAY, DOWN INTO A DEPRESSION IN THE GROUND, AND NOSED OVER. THE WX WAS VFR BUT IT WAS A DARK NIGHT.
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: 67 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,487 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 2, 1987; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Link Training Center, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°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 N49209 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.