Cessna 150M accident near Boulder, Colorado, September 5, 1996
On September 5, 1996 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704QR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder, Colorado (Boulder Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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
an improper flare by the student pilot, and his improper recovery from a bounced landing. A factor relating to the accident was: the student pilot's lack of experience in the type (model) of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1996 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Colorado · Boulder Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704QR · no longer on the register · serial 15078794
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a touch-and-go landing on a student solo training flight, the aircraft touched down on the nose landing gear, then bounced. The second touch down was also on the nose gear, which collapsed. The aircraft then slid to a stop on the runway. The student pilot said this was his first solo in a Cessna 150. His previous solo was in a Cessna 152.
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: student
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dakota Ridge Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8R, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from BJC, 10 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 N704QR 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.