# Accident 19960131047539A: Piper PA34220T, Estespark, CO, January 31, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 31, 1996, 21:55 local time
- Place: Estespark, CO
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.0202° N, 105.0404° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0202&lon=-105.0404&mi=10
- Aircraft: N83809, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N83809-1998-11-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-34-220T (registry code 7103420, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-220t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA34220T
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW96FA145](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96FA145) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960131047539A

## Narrative

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

(-16) ON JANUARY 31, 1996, AT 2155 MST RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WITH A PIPER PA-34-220T, N83809 WAS LOST NEAR ESTES PARK, COLORADO. PILOT WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHEN RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORTS HAVE BEEN TERMINATED. AC IS STILL MISSING (FTW96FAMS2). UPDATE: AC FOUND ON YPSILON MOUNTAIN IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK ON OR ABOUT 03/03/96 @ ELEVATION AT IMPACT 13,164/AC DESTROYED; WRECKAGE INACCESSIBLE EXCEPT BY WORLD CLASS MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS. BODY PART SAMPLES RECOVERED FOR DNA VERIFICATION. (FTW96FA145).

## 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 FTW96FA145](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96FA145), Feb 1, 1996: Piper PA-34-220T (N83809), Estes Park, CO, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Descent into mountainous terrain for reasons undetermined.

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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