- Date
- January 19, 1988, 19:20 local (Jan 20, 1988, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Bayfield, CO
- Injuries
- 9 fatal, 1 serious, 6 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N68TCFairchild SA-227AC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19880119048939A
- Case key
- 15895
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft was operating as Continental express flight 2286. During the approach in IFR conditions, the aircraft went below the minimum descent altitude then struck the terrain at 7180 feet MSL. Exam of the aircraft did not disclose any pre-impact failures or system malfunctions. The evidence indicated that the copilot was flying the airplane during the approach. Evaluation of the radar data showed an excessive rate of descent before the collision with terrain. Post- mortem toxicological examination showed that the captain had used cocaine prior to this flight. The saftey board concluded that this use had adversly affected his ability to monitor the unstabilized approach flown by the copilot. Records of both crewmembers revealed prior traffic violations and accidents, and, in the case of the captain, a previous aircraft accident. Evaluation of the weather conditions indicated that a 10 to 15 knot tailwind condition existed throughout the approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68TC
- Reported as
- Fairchild SA-227AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AC 457
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331-114, 1,000 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Trans Colorado Airlines, doing business as Trans Colorado
- Registered owner
- Trans-Colorado Airlines, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Destination
- DRO · Durango, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DRO · Durango, runway 20, 9,200 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,184 total · 3,028 in this make and model · 2,651 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 49 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DRO, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.