Piper J3C accident near Englewood, Colorado, July 22, 1995
On July 22, 1995 at about 6:02 pm local time, a Piper J3C, registered N5985V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado. 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
A PARTIAL POWER LOSS DUE TO A STUCK NUMBER FOUR EXHAUST VALVE. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1995 · about 6:02 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C · all J3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5985V · registry record · serial 13460
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMB TO CRUISE, A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. THE PILOT SELECTED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SUITABLE SITE FOR A FORCED LANDING. DURING LANDING ROLL, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED IN ROUGH TERRAIN. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE PROVIDED EVIDENCE OF A STUCK NUMBER FOUR EXHAUST VALVE.
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: 803 hours in all; 498 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,628 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 005° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:05 pm from APA, 2 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 N5985V 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.