Cessna 172 accident near Gill, Colorado, March 14, 1999
On March 14, 1999 at about 1:48 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6085A, was destroyed in an accident near Gill, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional maneuvering at an unwarranted low altitude resulting in a collision with the ground. Factors were the pilot's ostentatious behavioral display and reduced lighting (dusk) conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1999 · about 1:48 am local time
- Place
- Gill, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6085A · no longer on the register · serial 28685
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
There were no witnesses to the accident, and no one saw the airplane depart the airport. The pilot's watch had stopped at 6:48. Official sunset occurred at 1803, and civil twilight ended at 1830. The wreckage path began approximately 150 feet east of a small hill and was 270 feet in length. At the beginning of the wreckage path were three ground furrows, dimensionally similar to the airplane's nose and main landing gears. Just beyond were two perpendicular scars, dimensionally similar to the airplane's wings. The crush angle taken from the propeller spinner was 32 degrees. A person who had previously flown with the pilot said he like to do 'roller coaster' drops in which he lifted the nose of the aircraft and let it fall toward the ground. He also like to play games such as 'chase the river,' in which he flew low over a river and raced floating sticks.
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: 474 hours in all; 460 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 387 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,449 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1998; 123 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: GXY Greeley CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from GXY, 17 miles away
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.
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.