Cessna 177RG accident near Broomfield, Colorado, August 18, 1988
On August 18, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N53049, was substantially damaged in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado (Jeffco 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
- August 18, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · Jeffco · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N53049 · no longer on the register · serial 177RG1331
- 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 SHORT FIELD LANDINGS FROM THE RIGHT SEAT ON A 7,498 X 100 FT ASPHALT RWY. THE PLT SAID HE ENCOUNTERED A THERMAL AT 10 FT AGL AND STALLED THE AIRPLANE. HE REPORTED THAT THE ACFT HIT HARDER THAN HE EXPECTED AND BOUNCED TWICE. HE STATED THAT HE ADDED THROTTLE AND MADE A GO-AROUND. HE LANDED SAFELY AND HE AND THE FBO VISUALLY INSPECTED THE ACFT, FINDING NO DAMAGE. LATER DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, A MECHANIC FOUND SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE FIREWALL AND NOTIFIED THE FAA.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 399 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 312 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,189 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC at 9:45 pm
- Destination: BJC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11L, 7,498 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N53049 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.