- Date
- July 24, 1991, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fountain, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N24204Cessna 152
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910724051659A
- Case key
- 18116
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
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain on which to make a landing. Factors were: the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, and weather conditions that included low ceiling, obscuration, fog, and drizzle.
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 pilot had been hired to ferry the recently purchased airplane from santa barbara, CA, to aurora, CO. He said he last purchased fuel in las vegas, NM, and flew to raton, NM, where he spent the night in the airplane. He departed raton at 0700 the next morning. Near Colorado springs, he encountered low ceiling, obscuration, fog and drizzle. He reversed course but weather conditions deteriorated. Not being instrument rated, he elected to land atop a mesa. During the rollout, the airplane struck a rut and was substantially damaged. The pilot did not get a preflight weather briefing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24204
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280148
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Jerry B. Ehrich
- Registered owner
- Jerry B. Ehrich
- Departed
- RTN · Raton, NM
- Destination
- 01V · Watkins, 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 215 total · 42 in this make and model · 91 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 7 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N24204 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.