19791223040309A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-23 · Grand Lake, CO · December 23, 1979

Date
December 23, 1979 · 14:00 local
Place
Grand Lake, CO
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N2013P
NTSB investigation
NTSBDEN80FA014
Reported as
Piper PA23
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
6,200 total25 in this make and model3 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Tried to fly through mountainous area with passes above aircraft's ceiling. Hit downdraft. Impacted in a snow field

As the FAA filed it

TRIED TO FLY THROUGH MOUNTAINOUS AREA WITH PASSES ABOVE AIRCRAFT'S CEILING. HIT DOWNDRAFT. IMPACTED IN A SNOW FIELD

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.