- Date
- October 21, 1987, 11:35 local (17:35 UTC)
- Place
- Bailey, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4132GCessna 340A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871021080309A
- Case key
- 17338
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 crashed on the side of a mountain during visual meteorological conditions. The pilot had been in voice and radar contact with air traffic control until the aircraft disappeared from radar. The pilot reported severe turbulence and a rough running engine to ATC as he was nearing a mountain pass. The pilot stated that he thought the rough running engine was due to fuel contamination. A witness reported that the pilot had said the fuel had contained alot of water. The pilot reported to ATC that he had just lost the engine and he was attempting to make it through a saddle. A SIGMET had been issued for that region and the severe turbulence was confirmed by another pilot. Engine teardown revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure/malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4132G
- Reported as
- Cessna 340A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 340A0303
- Airframe hours
- 2,146
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520N, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Harmon, James M., doing business as Harmon Ranch
- Registered owner
- James Munson Harmon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 1987 · 95 hours before
- Departed
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Destination
- Buena Vista, CO
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,809 total · 364 in this make and model · 4,342 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEN, 38 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.