Aero Commander 690C incident near Denver, Colorado, May 24, 1991
On May 24, 1991 at about 2:25 am local time, a Aero Commander 690C, registered N81TR, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
FATIGUE FAILURE OF FLAP CABLE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1991 · about 2:25 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690C · all 690Cs on the register
- Registration
- N81TR · registry record · serial 11690
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING MID-BASE LEG FOR A VFR APPROACH TO LANDING AT STAPELTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, THE PILOT OF N81TR WAS SELECTING FULL FLAP POSITION, WHEN HE HEARD A DULL THUD. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED A ROLL TO THE LEFT, BUT THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT UNITL HE COULD RAISE THE FLAP HANDLE. AFTER SELECTING 'FLAP UP POSITION,' THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO NORMAL FLIGHT, AND A NORMAL NO FLAP LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. AFTER LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED AND INSPECTED. A BROKEN FLAP CABLE WAS FOUND. LATER, TESTS REVEALED THE CABLE HAD SEPARATED DUE TO FATIGUE.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,215 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 3,081 as pilot in command; 1,360 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-5-254K (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Casper Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: CYS Cheyenne WY at 1:12 am
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18, 7,700 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N81TR 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.