# Accident 19811231000039A: Piper PA31350, Durango, CO, December 31, 1981

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 31, 1981, 18:55 local time
- Place: Durango, CO
- Airport: La Plata
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Missed Approach IFR
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: SDCA
- Location: 37.2645° N, 107.8741° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Durango, CO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.2645&lon=-107.8741&mi=10
- Aircraft: N41070, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N41070-2012-10-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31-350 (registry code 7103110, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31350
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540*
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 4,900 total, 1,381 in this make and model, 234 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DCA82AA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA82AA007) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19811231000039A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST ALTITUDE AND CRASHED AFTER INITIATING A MISSED APPROACH. SNOW AND FOG A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. NO ENGINE PROBLEM

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DCA82AA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA82AA007), Dec 31, 1981: Piper PA-31 (N41070), Durango, CO, destroyed, 4 fatal

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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