Cessna 320D accident near Broomfield, Colorado, March 16, 1999
On March 16, 1999 at about 4:46 am local time, a Cessna 320D, registered N4127T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado (Jeffco 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
A partial loss of power on the left engine for undetermined reasons. A factor was the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft during landing flare/touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 1999 · about 4:46 am local time
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · Jeffco Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320D · all 320Ds on the register
- Registration
- N4127T · no longer on the register · serial 320D0027
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was north of the airport at 8,000 feet in bound for landing when she turned on the fuel boost pumps and switched from the auxiliary to the main tanks following a momentary surge. Minutes later, the left engine began to surge again. She was able to substantially restore power to the left engine. During approach to landing, the power on the left engine began to surge again, followed by a partial loss of power. As she flared for landing, the aircraft veered to the left and departed the runway into the grass. Based on the pilot's fuel calculations, the aircraft should have had 53.2 gallons of fuel remaining when she landed. The day after the accident, fuel was found in the right main fuel tank; however, the left tank was compromised and the presence of fuel could not be verified. Following the accident, the left engine was run in a test cell. The engine operated up to the maximum available power, and no discrepancies were observed. The turbocharger was also examined, and no abnormalities were found.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,537 hours in all; 234 in this make and model; 272 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 1,413 as pilot in command; 716 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,188 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 1999; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Star West Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: CYS Cheyenne WY at 3:55 am
- Destination: BJC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29R, 9,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:46 am from BJC
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.