- Date
- January 5, 1989, 07:39 local (14:39 UTC)
- Place
- Aspen, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N945FECessna 208B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890105000219A
- Case key
- 17575
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's improper IFR procedure. Contributing factors included moderate turbulence, low ceilings, obscuration and snow.
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - turbulence in cloudsFactor
Weather condition - low ceilingFactor
Weather condition - obscurationFactor
Weather condition - snowFactor
In flight collision with object
Ifr procedure - improperCause
Terrain condition - mountainous/hilly
Object - tree(s)
Aircraft
- Registration
- N945FE
- Reported as
- Cessna 208B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 208B0046
- Airframe hours
- 1,041
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-114, 600 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- P. M. Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Federal Express
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 10, 1988 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Destination
- ASE
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ASE · Aspen-Pitkin County, runway 15, 7,003 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,347 total · 322 in this make and model · 4,800 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ASE, 3 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.