Cessna 172M accident near Franktown, Colorado, July 27, 1998
On July 27, 1998 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N5147N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Franktown, Colorado. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Flight at an altitude insufficient to clear terrain. Factors were the pilot's failure to reset or correct a precessing directional gyro, his becoming lost/disoriented, and dark night light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1998 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Franktown, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N5147N · registry record · serial 17261417
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew to Centennial Airport to practice touch and go landings. He departed the airport traffic pattern on an easterly heading, tuned the no. 1 navigation receiver to the Falcon Vortac, and rotated the OBS (Omni Bearing Selector) to 350 degrees. It was his intention to cross the 360 degree radial (sic, 180 degree radial), and then fly direct to the Falcon Vortac and direct to Front Range Airport. This route would avoid the Buckley ANG and Denver International Airport airspace. After he flew what he thought was an easterly heading the evidence indicates it was most probably a south-southeasterly heading) for 8 to 10 minutes and noting the CDI (Course Deviation Indicator) needle had failed to center, he made a shallow 360 degree turn and looked for recognizable landmarks. He then rotated the OBS to go direct to the Falcon Vortac, 'reset the directional gyro to the magnetic compass, making a significant correction,' and descended to 6,500 feet msl. After flying this heading for a minute, the airplane collided with terrain 11 miles southeast of Centennial Airport. Weather conditions at Centennial Airport consisted of clear skies and greater than 10 miles visibility. The pilot said it was a dark night.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 200 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 170 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,078 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1998; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Training, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FTG Watkins CO at 2:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 am from APA, 11 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 N5147N 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.