- Date
- August 31, 1985, 15:25 local (21:25 UTC)
- Place
- Peyton, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N14331Piper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850831042069A
- Case key
- 16555
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 two experienced pilots took off from high alt airstrip under high density alt conditions. Witnesses said acft entered a 60-degree left banking turn. When acft had completed 120-degrees of turn, the nose dropped. Witnesses said the acft side-slipped to the left and lost considerable altitude. The acft seemed to recover but then side-slipped to the right. The acft struck the ground, slid to the right, and burst into flames.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14331
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7409089
- Airframe hours
- 376
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Harry B. Combs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 1985
- Airport
- Bijou Springs Ranch, runway 21, 3,640 × 50 ft, gravel
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,659 total · 71 in this make and model · 7,301 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COS, 23 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.