Cessna 180 accident near Buena Vista, Colorado, January 20, 1996
On January 20, 1996 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N6502A, was destroyed in an accident near Buena Vista, Colorado (Buena Vista Municipal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, and his failure to maintain directional control. A factor relating to the accident was: the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 1996 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Buena Vista, Colorado · Buena Vista Municipal · 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
- N6502A · registry record · serial 32399
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that prior to takeoff, he estimated the wind to be from 260 degrees at 8 to 10 knots. He said that during the takeoff roll on runway 33, he was unable to maintain runway heading. The airplane went off the right side of the runway, cleared a drainage ditch, and impacted the opposite embankment. After the accident, the pilot said the wind was from 260 degrees at 20 knots (23 mph) with gusts to 25 knots (29 mph). According to a Cessna Aircraft Company spokesman, the airplane was flight tested in a 30 mph direct crosswind.
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: 345 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 246 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,125 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1995; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7V1 at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,425 ft by 28 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:56 pm from COS, 65 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 N6502A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW96LA101.