Cessna 172K accident near Boulder, CO
On January 5, 2002, a Cessna 172K (airplane) was involved in an accident near Boulder, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 5, 2002
- Place
- Boulder, CO
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.094°N, 105.294°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020117X00084
Official records · DEN02FA017
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 5, 2002, at 1558 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172K, N78035, was destroyed when it collided with terrain while maneuvering near Boulder, Colorado. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight that had originated approximately 35 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan. Radar data indicates that the airplane departed Vance Brand Airport (elevation 5,052 feet), Longmont, Colorado, at 1523. It flew northwest, then south, and then southeast. At 1533, the airplane flew south to Louisville, Colorado. The pilot's wife said that she heard it circle over her location (she said after many years, she knew the sound of his airplane). The pilot then flew north to Lyons, Colorado, circled the city, and then headed south again. At 1557:26, the airplane turned west, and began squawking 7700 (an emergency transmission). The last recorded radar return was at 1558:16, and the airplane's altitude was at 6,500 feet. Calculations made from radar data, during the last 2 to 3 minutes of flight, indicate that the airplane's ground speed was approximately 108 knots in a westerly direction. Four witnesses, in a car driving north on highway 36 (elevation 5,530 feet), observed the airplane flying westbound across the highway. They said the airplane was flying level and straight. They all thought that the airplane was flying "very low," and it did not turn or pull u
Probable cause
the pilot's intentional suicidal flight into terrain. Contributing factors were the pilot's psychological depressive state, and his use of inappropriate medication.
More accidents in CO
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Nov 15, 1987
- Grumman Gulfstream III, Mar 30, 2001
- Beech 1900, Jan 28, 2026
- Douglas DC3, Mar 9, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 3, 2014
Browse: Colorado · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
