Piper PA-23 accident near Greeley, Colorado, September 8, 1995
On September 8, 1995 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-23, registered N2291P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greeley, Colorado (Greeley Weld County 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 IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY INADVERTENTLY SELECTING A LESS SUITABLE AREA FOR LANDING (THAN THE RUNWAY). FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: A MALFUNCTION OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR MICRO-SWITCH, WHICH RESULTED IN A FALSE INDICATION THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT DOWN-AND-LOCKED, AND ROUGH/UNEVEN TERRAIN IN THE SELECTED (GRASS) LANDING AREA BESIDE THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 1995 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Greeley, Colorado · Greeley Weld County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N2291P · registry record · serial 23-902
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ENTERING THE PATTERN ON RETURN FROM A LOCAL AREA PERSONAL FLIGHT, THE PILOT COULD NOT GET A DOWN-AND-LOCKED INDICATION OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR. THE AIRPORT MANAGER INFORMED THE PILOT THAT ALL THREE LANDING GEAR APPEARED TO BE IN THE DOWN POSITION, AND SUGGESTED THAT HE CHECK THE LIGHT BULB AND CIRCLE UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. THE PILOT REPLIED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE THEN LANDED THE AIRCRAFT IN A GRASS AREA BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY. THIS GRASS AREA WAS ROUGH AND UNEVEN. THE LANDING GEAR REMAINED DOWN AND LOCKED DURING THE LANDING ROLL. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR MICRO-SWITCH WAS OUT OF ADJUSTMENT. IN THE EVENT OF A NOSE LANDING GEAR UNSAFE INDICATION, THE AIRCRAFT OPERATING PROCEDURES WERE TO CONDUCT A NORMAL FULL FLAP LANDING AND HOLD THE NOSE GEAR FROM TOUCHING DOWN AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 20,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,668 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1994; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GXY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:25 pm from GXY, 1 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.
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.