Cessna 180 accident near Watkins, Colorado, September 9, 1993
On September 9, 1993 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4719B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watkins, Colorado (Front Range airport). It was a personal 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'S IMPROPER COMPENSATION FOR SHIFTING WINDS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1993 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4719B · no longer on the register · serial 2072602
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WINDS DURING THE INITIAL GROUND ROLL WERE 020 DEGREES TO 040 DEGREES OFF RUNWAY 08 AT 14 KNOTS GUSTING TO 17 KNOTS. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE WINDS SHIFTED TO 360 DEGREES AT THE TIME THE TAIL CAME OFF THE RUNWAY AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST INVERTED AT THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,394 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,321 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,716 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 16, 1993; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 14 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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 N4719B 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.