Waco UPF7 accident near Watkins, Colorado, August 27, 1989
On August 27, 1989 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Waco UPF7, registered N2369Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watkins, Colorado (Front Range airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE LEFT BRAKE ASSEMBLY, AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BY THE PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 1989 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF7 · all UPF7s on the register
- Registration
- N2369Q · registry record · serial 5387
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS TAKING PART IN AN AIRSHOW WITH A PERSON STANDING ON THE LEFT WING. THE PLT SAID THAT WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED DURING LANDING ROLL, THE RIGHT BRAKE OPERATED PROPERLY, BUT THE LEFT BRAKE FAILED. THE PLANE THEN TURNED RIGHT AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, RESULTING IN A GROUND LOOP. THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE GROUND AND BOTH LEFT WINGS WERE BENT. THE PERSON, WHO WAS STANDING ON THE LEFT LOWER WING, WAS THROWN CLEAR. A POST-ACDNT EXAM REVEALED THAT 3 OF THE 4 BRAKE PADS WERE MISSING FROM THE LEFT BRAKE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,650 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 136 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 7,424 as pilot in command; 829 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,338 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1989; 195 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTG at 10:00 pm
- Destination: FTG
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N2369Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN89LA201.