Cessna 182G accident near Aurora, Colorado, January 10, 1988
On January 10, 1988 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182G, registered N3406S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aurora, Colorado (Aurora airport). 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 1988 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Colorado · Aurora · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182G · all 182Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3406S · no longer on the register · serial 18255806
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N3406S WAS LANDING ON RWY 32, AN ASPHALT RWY 5,000 FT LONG AND 40 FT WIDE. THE RWY WAS CLEAR AND DRY, BUT THE TERRAIN SURROUNDING THE RWY WAS COVERED BY 12 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW. THE WIND AT AN ARPT 5 MI SW WAS FROM 160 DEG AT 5 KTS. IN HIS RPT OF THE ACDT THE PLT SAID HE FAILED TO PROPERLY JUDGE HIS ALT OVER THE FLAT, UNBROKEN SNOW FIELD AND TOUCHED DOWN 100 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. UPON TOUCHDOWN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: 305 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 264 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,380 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 29, 1987; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48V Erie CO at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from BKF, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.