- Date
- January 16, 1988, 19:30 local (Jan 17, 1988, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Elbert, CO
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9937UGulfstream American AA-5A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880116000649A
- Case key
- 17348
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 collided with slightly rising terrain with the rt wing slightly down and the nose attitude level. Following the first contact, the acft skipped about 90 ft and the 2nd impact was in a more pronounced rt wing low and nose down attitude. The canopy was ejected and found 20 ft rt and 30 ft fwd of the 2nd impact point. The acft disintegrated from the 2nd impact point along a 480 ft path which was 147 ft wide. The front seat occupants were still strapped in their seats. The rear seat occupant was not strapped in and was ejected 110 ft from the main wreckage. The acft was enroute from rapid city, SD to Colorado springs, CO. The crash site was 3 miles west of Elbert, CO. At an elevation of apprx 7100 ft MSL. A witness at Elbert, CO. Said at the time of the acc the clouds were 'on the ground' and visibility was 'very poor.' Wx in Colorado springs was 100 overcast 3/4 mile visibility in snow. There is no evidence that the plt checked the wx. Acft heading at impact was away from a heading to the flts destination.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9937U
- Reported as
- Gulfstream American AA-5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA-5A-0337
- Airframe hours
- 2,167
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2G, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Peterson Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Lee W. Maddox
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 22, 1987 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- RAP · Rapid City, SD
- Destination
- COS · Colo. Springs, 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 266 total · 98 in this make and model · 213 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 130° at 11 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COS, 25 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.