Boeing PT-17 accident near Meeker, Colorado, June 3, 1989
On June 3, 1989 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Boeing PT-17, registered N555JW, was destroyed in an accident near Meeker, Colorado (Meeker airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INADVERTENT STALL-SPIN AT AN ALTITUDE INSUFFICIENT TO EFFECT A SAFE RECOVERY. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AND WIND SHEAR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 1989 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Meeker, Colorado · Meeker · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing PT-17 · all PT-17s on the register
- Registration
- N555JW · registry record · serial 75-2955
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT AND PAYING PAX DEPARTED ARPT DURING AIR SHOW FOR LOCAL SIGHTSEEING FLT. MONIES RAISED FROM AIRPLANE RIDES AND AIR SHOW WERE TO BENEFIT LOCAL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL. SHORTLY AFTER ACFT DEPARTED RWY 21, WITNESSES SAID STRONG GUSTY WINDS DEVELOPED AS THUNDERSTORM APPROACHED. VIRGA WAS SEEN FALLING FROM ONE CELL, LOCATED ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTH OF ARPT. THE ACFT WAS NEXT SEEN ON WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS A RIGHT X-WIND LEG FOR RWY 3 AT LOW SPEED. THE ACFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO SPIN AND IMPACT THE GROUND. THE ACFT EXPLODED AND BURNED. PLT COULD NOT RECALL ANY DETAILS OF 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: 652 hours in all; 352 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 589 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,651 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 6, 1988; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,810 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W-670-6N (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 2V3 at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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 N555JW 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.