Cessna 172R accident near Aspen, CO
On October 23, 1999, a Cessna 172R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Aspen, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 23, 1999
- Place
- Aspen, CO
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.190°N, 106.819°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19937
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 23, 1999, at 1248 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172R, N9548A, impacted rising terrain during climb in the vicinity of Independence Pass near Aspen, Colorado. The private pilot in command received fatal injuries and the two private pilot passengers received serious injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this personal flight, which departed Aspen approximately 20 minutes before the accident. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed. The aircraft fueled at Aspen and according to ground witnesses, after takeoff it was observed to fly a right downwind and proceed directly up the valley leading from Aspen to Independence Pass. The rear seat passenger verified this. A witness who saw the accident related that the aircraft was flying slowly, in a climb, with a high nose attitude as it impacted terrain. The rear seat passenger was interviewed and stated they realized they were not going to clear the pass and discussed attempting to turn around. According to the rear seat passenger, they were flying up the center of the valley, and the pilot was flying at an airspeed just above stall. He did not recall the pilot putting flaps down and had a vague recollection of the impact sequence. He said that after the accident, hikers assisted them within "a couple" of minutes. He also related that the aircraft was functioning normally when the accident occurred. The accident site was at 11,948 feet above mean sea level (msl) in a valley ab
Probable cause
the pilot's improper decision to fly directly up the center of the valley and not circle climb to gain sufficient terrain clearance altitude. A factor was inadequate route performance planning by the pilot.
More accidents in CO
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Nov 15, 1987
- Grumman Gulfstream III, Mar 30, 2001
- Beech 1900, Jan 28, 2026
- Douglas DC3, Mar 9, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 3, 2014
Browse: Colorado · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
