Cessna 152 accident near Erie, Colorado, September 28, 1990
On September 28, 1990, a Cessna 152, registered N6581M, was destroyed in an accident near Erie, Colorado (Tri-County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE STUDENT PILOT'S MISJUDGEMENT OF DISTANCE AND ALTITUDE, AND THE INSTRUCTOR'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1990
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · Tri-County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6581M · no longer on the register · serial 15284769
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER-RATED STUDENT PILOT WAS RECEIVING DUAL TRANSITION INSTRUCTION AND WAS CONDUCTING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. ON THE FOURTH APPROACH, THE INSTRUCTOR 'FELT THE AIRPLANE WAS LOW, BUT NOT DANGEROUSLY SO,' AND TOLD THE STUDENT TO ADD POWER. THE INSTRUCTOR SAW THE ORANGE MARKER BALLS ON THE POWERLINES BUT FELT THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD CLEARED THEM. THE AIRPLANE SEVERED TWO POWERLINES, LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY, STRUCK A DIRT BANK AND OVERTURNED. RUNWAY 9 EQUIPPED WITH LOW INTENSITY RUNWAY LIGHTS; DOES NOT HAVE A VASI.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 835 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 727 as pilot in command; 19 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tri-County Flight School, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 48V
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,830 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; 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.
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.