- Date
- July 24, 1992, 07:23 local (13:23 UTC)
- Place
- Fairplay, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4963RCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920724027429A
- Case key
- 18155
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 flight instructor's operation at an altitude insufficient to clear obstacles in rising mountainous terrain. Factors were: high density altitude, diversion of the instructor's attention, and the rising terrain.
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 purpose of the flight was to give the pilot a mountain flying checkout. A pilot rated passenger was in the back seat observing. The instructor took control of the airplane and indicated he wanted to show both pilots a camp site where he had camped several weeks before. The instructor flew up a mountainous valley while the pilot operated a video camera. The passenger said they were flying at low altitude and below ridges rising on both sides of the airplane. Examination of the video tape corroborated statements made by the pilot and passenger, and depicted the events leading up to and including the impact. Computed density altitude was approximately 12,245 feet MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4963R
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0037
- Airframe hours
- 6,881
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-F1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Emery Aviation College
- Registered owner
- Technical Trades Institute,Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 30, 1992 · 67 hours before
- Departed
- COS · Colorado Spring, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 27
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,639 total · 675 in this make and model · 1,473 as pilot in command · 112 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 45 °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.