Amateur-built Q-200 accident near Cortez, Colorado, August 11, 1999
On August 11, 1999 at about 5:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Q-200, registered N321TM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cortez, Colorado (Cortez Municipal airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain directional control. Related factors were the soft wet terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 1999 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Cortez, Colorado · Cortez Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Q-200
- Registration
- N321TM · registry record · serial 2328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As he approached the airport, the pilot was advised that the wind was from the south approximately 5 to 10 mph, and that the runway was wet as the result of a recent rain shower. The pilot entered the traffic pattern and carried power throughout the approach to runway 21. When the airplane was flared and power reduced for landing, the nose dropped onto the runway. The airplane bounced and skewed 30 degrees to the left. The pilot added full power but the airplane did not appear to gain altitude or airspeed. Because of tall vegetation ahead, the pilot decided to land. He reduced power and landed on the grass, then straightened the airplane to parallel the runway. The airplane rolled into a muddy area and nosed down.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,460 hours in all; 205 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 2,277 as pilot in command; 1,400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 205 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 1999; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TCC Tucumcari NM at 3:45 pm
- Destination: CEZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 7,205 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from CEZ
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.