Cessna 172N accident near Platteville, Colorado, June 18, 1999
On June 18, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5266J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Platteville, Colorado (Kugel Strong airport). It was an instructional flight 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 pilot misjudging the flare altitude, resulting in a hard landing, and his subsequent loss of aircraft control. A factor was overload forces collapsing the nose landing gear assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Platteville, Colorado · Kugel Strong · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5266J · registry record · serial 17273749
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed at a private airport, turned around at the end of the runway, and took off again. He remained in the airport traffic pattern with the intention of making another landing. The touchdown was said to be 'firm.' The airplane bounced three times before the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane skidded to a halt, damaging the right wing extensively.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 180 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,937 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 8, 1999; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GXY Greeley CO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 27V
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 4,000 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from GXY, 18 miles away
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 N5266J 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.