- Date
- November 25, 1989, 11:56 local (18:56 UTC)
- Place
- Steamboat Spgs, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6385RPiper PA-28
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891125046709A
- Case key
- 17869
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
Continued VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and his delay in diverting or reversing course. The terrain, weather conditions, wing ice, and trees were considered to be contributing factors.
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
While en route from beloit, KS, to Steamboat springs, CO, the plt landed at fort morgan, CO, for fuel. He telephoned the denver afss to obtain a wx briefing & was told VFR flt was not recommended. According to the plt, as he apchd buffalo pass at 11,500 ft MSL, he enctrd 'a sudden, strong downdraft' & application of full power did not arrest the sink rate. Subsequently, the airplane struck trees as the plt was turning around. According to the passenger, IFR conditions were enctrd, the acft began accumulating ice & it crashed drg a turn to reverse direction. Aprx 28 mi west at hayden (elev 6597'), the 1050 MST wx was in part: sky partially obscd, 1000' scattered, estd ceiling 3000' ovc, vis 6 mi with light snow, wind 250 deg at 7 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6385R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-21560
- Airframe hours
- 2,260
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Mccosh, Joseph D.
- Registered owner
- Joseph D Mccosh
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 1, 1989 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- 3V4 · Fort Morgan, CO
- Destination
- SBS · Steamboat Spgs, 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,065 total · 161 in this make and model · 1,001 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 19 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6385R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.