- Date
- July 27, 1983, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pitkin, CO
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9378WPiper PA-28-235C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830727036429A
- Case key
- 15996
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 acft was on a x-country flt from camarillo, CA to oshkosh, WI. The plt landed at about noon at montrose, CO, where the acft was refueled & the occupants went to a restaurant to eat. After departing montrose, the acft was seen flying low over rising, mountainous terrain, heading toward williams pass. Subsequently, it collided with trees & crashed on the south slope of a valley near williams pass, aprx 92 mi ene of montrose. The witnesses did not see or hear the acft crash. At the time, they thought the plt may have turned or somehow continued over the pass. Later, the acft was found after a witness learned there was a missing plane & notified authorities. No evidence of a preimpact, mechanical malfunction or failure was found. The density altitude was estimated to be 14,400 ft. the plt's last biennial flt review was on 7/24/81.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9378W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-11070
- Airframe hours
- 2,517
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dan L. & Sharon Ogden
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 21, 1983 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- MTJ · Montrose, CO
- Destination
- Oshkosh, WI
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 309 total · 299 in this make and model · 256 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GUC, 35 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.
Other investigations on N9378W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.