- Date
- December 1, 1985, 18:08 local (Dec 2, 1985, 01:08 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9250YPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851201058409A
- Case key
- 16796
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The plt had been flying aprx 7 hrs and was completing the flt at night when the accident occurred. He was using visual cues (the arpt enviroment) to position the acft at a proper alt for a visual apch and landing. The terrain south of the arpt rises several hundred feet above the arpt elevation. The terrain is sparsely lit. The acft touched down 2 miles short of rwy 34R in an open pasture at an elev of aprx 400 ft higher than the arpt. The plt had flown aprx 1 hr of night time in the last 90 days, according to his logbook.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9250Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31P8414029
- Airframe hours
- 296
- Engine
- Lycoming LTIO-540-V2AD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Zilfi Investment Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 21, 1985 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Destination
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- APA · Centennial
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,050 total · 212 in this make and model · 701 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 50° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 1 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APA, 2 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.