Cessna 185F accident near Erie, Colorado, April 30, 1988
On April 30, 1988 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N8389Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erie, Colorado (Tri-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
- April 30, 1988 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · Tri-County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8389Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503678
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PLT WAS PRACTICING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS DURING A LOCAL FLIGHT. DURING LANDING ROLL ON THE LAST LANDING, THE PILOT REACHED DOWN TO RETRACT LANDING FLAPS AND OPENED THE COWL FLAPS. HE THEN BECAME AWARE THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS TURNING RIGHT. LEFT RUDDER AND BRAKING DID NOT CORRECT THE TURN. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND ENTERED SOFT UNEVEN TERRAIN. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED DOWN.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,380 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 1,215 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 431 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1988; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48V
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 5,400 ft by 65 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:47 pm from BJC
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 N8389Q 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.