Cessna 404 accident near Englewood, Colorado, February 13, 1990
On February 13, 1990, a Cessna 404, registered N409EX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado (Centennial airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 COLLAPSE OF THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 1990
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N409EX · no longer on the register · serial C404-00436
- 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 PILOT REPORTED THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED DURING TAKEOFF GROUND RUN AT 85 KNOTS. THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED 2,500 FEET ON RUNWAY 17L, BEFORE COMING TO REST ON THE ASPHALT RUNWAY. A POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE TO EXPLAIN THE REPORTED NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE. REPEATED GEAR RETRACTION AND EXTENSION TESTS FAILED TO DUPLICATE THE MALFUNCTION.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,680 hours in all; 1,932 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 2,808 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,560 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 12, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA
- Destination: RIL Rifle CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17L, 10,000 ft by 101 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 28°F (-2°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.
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.