Piper PA-18-135 accident near Boulder, Colorado, October 12, 1996
On October 12, 1996 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-135, registered N9967Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder, Colorado (Boulder 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 failure to maintain directional control and his improper use of rudder. A factor was the pilot's lack of total experience in the make and model of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1996 · about 8:30 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
- Piper PA-18-135 · all PA-18-135s on the register
- Registration
- N9967Q · registry record · serial 18-4012
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed in a 3-point attitude on runway 8 and allowed the wind (estimated to vary between 270 and 300 degrees at 6 to 9 knots) to get underneath the upwind wing. He said the airplane drifted left of the runway centerline, and he corrected with opposite aileron and rudder 'somewhat excessively.' As the airplane returned to the runway centerline, he applied left rudder, again 'somewhat excessively.' The pilot said the airplane veered to the left and he applied 'right rudder aggressively.' The airplane swerved to the right. Side loads were imposed, the left tire separated from the wheel rim, and the airplane ground looped. The pilot indicated he had logged 4 hours in the airplane in the previous 90 days. Three of the four hours were with an instructor. The accident flight was the pilot's first flight in the airplane as pilot-in-command.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 304 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 231 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,323 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 12, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dakota Ridge Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 at 7:30 pm
- Destination: 1V5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8R, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 9 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from BJC, 9 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 N9967Q 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 FTW97LA017.