Cessna 182E accident near Fort Collins, Colorado, October 12, 1995
On October 12, 1995 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N3198Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Collins, Colorado (Downtown Fort Collins airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a fatigue failure of the right main landing gear. Factors were the pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point and his inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1995 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Collins, Colorado · Downtown Fort Collins · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N3198Y · registry record · serial 18254198
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft touched down short of runway 11 and then landed hard on the runway. The right main landing gear separated from the aircraft and the aircraft skidded off the runway, crossed a taxiway and hit a fence. Winds were reported from the southwest at 15 MPH gusting to 30. Examination of the fractured surface at the landing gear separation point provided evidence that the fracture was the result of fatigue initiated by fretting where the landing gear attached to the fuselage.
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: 2,500 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1995; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3V4 Fort Morgan CO
- Destination: 3V5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,699 ft by 48 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:44 pm from FNL, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.