- Date
- April 20, 1988, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gunnison, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7979LBeech A23-19
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 21, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880420009979A
- Case key
- 17363
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
On a cross country flt, the plt attempted to climb through a pass which was above the effective service ceiling of the acft. At approximately the effective service ceiling of the acft the acft collided with terrain. The acft was destroyed by impact and post impact fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7979L
- Reported as
- Beech A23-19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MB 160
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2C, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Colley, James A.
- Registered owner
- James A Colley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 31, 1987
- Departed
- GUC · Gunnison, CO
- Destination
- PUB · Pueblo, 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GUC, 30 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.