- Date
- December 23, 1986, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Nathrop, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- CGYDGCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 17159
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 canadian registered acft, with a pvt plt and instructor rated pax and two paxs aboard, took off from canon city, CO, enroute to gunnison, CO, to refuel. This was a cross-country flt to allow the plt to build necessary flt time towards a commercial certificate. The acft was being flown in formation with another canadian acft. The plt was navigating via pilotage and noticed he was flying north instead of west. The instructor rated pax aboard the other acft advised the plt to fly a magnetic heading of 240 degs. The plt lost visual contact with the other acft and a turn was made over the wrong checkpoint. The acft was at 10,800 ft MSL and climbing slowly when the plt saw higher terrain ahead. The acft was in a blind canyon and the plt could not reverse course. The instructor rated pax took control of the acft and purposely stalled into a snow covered 12,000 ft mountain. The other acft landed safely at gunnison.
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
- CGYDG
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17561674
- Airframe hours
- 3,666
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Lachute Air Service, Ltd.
- Registered owner
- Marcel Ste.-Marie
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 13, 1986 · 29 hours before
- Departed
- 1V6 · Canon City, CO
- Destination
- GUC · Gunnison, CO
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 91 total · 91 in this make and model · 47 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None