Cessna 172K accident near Telluride, Colorado, March 25, 1997
On March 25, 1997 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N686JF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Telluride, Colorado (Telluride airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudged landing flare and his improper bounced landing recovery technique. A factor was the snow bank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 1997 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Telluride, Colorado · Telluride · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N686JF · registry record · serial 17257670
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during landing the airplane 'touched down very hard, bounced high and floated.' When the airplane touched down the second time, it was 'headed off [the] runway (15 degree angle +-).' He attempted to go around, but the airplane did not get airborne. The landing gear contacted a deep snow bank approximately 500 feet east and 100 feet south of where the airplane departed the runway, and it came to rest inverted.
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: 95 hours in all; 94 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 59 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,911 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 21, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CNY Moab UT at 4:00 pm
- Destination: TEX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 6,870 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.