- Date
- October 24, 1992, 10:31 local (16:31 UTC)
- Place
- Woody Creek, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N63016Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921024043209A
- Case key
- 18239
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
Aircraft climb performance exceeded. Factors were: the pilot's lack of experience in mountain flying, and the high density altitude conditions.
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
A passenger said that shortly after takeoff, the pilot made a right turn and entered a canyon. He then noticed the airplane was at 10,800 feet and climbing, but the trees were getting closer and closer. The airplane struck the trees, impacted the ground, and came to rest in a Creek bed. Personal flight planning papers recovered from the wreckage indicated the pilot planned to fly to granby, Colorado, via pilotage. The pilot had lived in the area for one month and had recently received a mountain flying check out. This was her first cross country mountain flying experience. There was no indication of airframe of powerplant failure or malfunction. Density altitude was approximately 12,443 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63016
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275376
- Airframe hours
- 4,745
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aspen Base Operation, Inc., doing business as Aspen Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Aspen Base Operation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 19, 1992 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- ASE · Aspen, 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
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 36 in this make and model · 39 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ASE, 8 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.