Piper PA-32-260 accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, July 3, 1988
On July 3, 1988, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N4878S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado (Colorado Springs Muni. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1988 · cases in 1988
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · Colorado Springs Muni. · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N4878S · registry record · serial 32 7100002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND PAX DEPARTED ST. LOUIS AND STOPPED TWICE ENROUTE DUE TO WX. THE PLT WAS GIVEN LANDING CLEARANCE ON RWY 17 AT COLORADO SPRINGS AND THE WIND WAS REPORTED TO BE FROM 190 DEGREES AT 12 KTS. WITNESSES AT THE ARPT STATED N4878S 'PORPOISED' SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE LANDING BEFORE THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PLT WAS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED AND HAD A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF 66 HOURS WITH 18 HOURS IN THE PA-32-260. THE PLT WAS INVOLVED IN A SIMILAR ACCIDENT IN KANSAS SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THIS ACCIDENT.
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: 66 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,396 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 1988; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOP Topeka KS at 10:00 pm
- Destination: COS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 11,021 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 65 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4878S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 3,916 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 21 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- City Of Colorado Springs Municipal · nearest airport
- Philip Billard Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,484 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN88LA144.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.