Cessna 170 accident near Boulder, Colorado, August 16, 1998
On August 16, 1998 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170, registered N2574V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder, Colorado (Boulder Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional ground loop and his inadequate compensation for the wind condition. A contributng factor was crosswinds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1998 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Colorado · Boulder Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N2574V · no longer on the register · serial 18111
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the pilot approached the airport for a full stop landing, he heard the pilot of another airplane, which was landing on runway 8 report that he had a tail wind during his landing sequence. The pilot 'noticed the wind sock on the east end of the runway was standing straight out in a direction that appeared to be 180 degrees.' The pilot landed on runway 26, but reported having difficulty keeping the airplane aligned with the centerline. He said 'I didn't feel at the time I stood any chance of gaining airspeed to execute a climb.' He performed a ground loop rather then go in the lake on the west end of the runway. One witness reported that immediately after the accident they noticed that the wind was coming from the northeast. The winds at the nearest reporting station, 9 nautical miles southeast, were 180 degrees and 13 knots at 1549 and at 1655, the winds were 150 degrees and 11 knots gusting to 20 knots.
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: 1,068 hours in all; 1,025 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,003 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,688 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 1997; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGA Ogallala NE at 7:30 pm
- Destination: 1V5
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 26, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 11 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from BJC, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N2574V 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.