Hawker Beechcraft 58P accident near Stonewall, Colorado, December 21, 2008
On December 21, 2008 at about 2:51 am local time, a Hawker Beechcraft 58P, registered CGGBT, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Stonewall, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent flight into mountain wave activity resulting in a loss of control and subsequent impact with mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2008 · about 2:51 am local time
- Place
- Stonewall, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hawker Beechcraft 58P
- Registration
- CGGBT · no longer on the register · serial TJ-373
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot maneuvered the twin-engine pressurized airplane to a level attitude about 18,000 feet mean sea level (msl). Approximately 30 minutes later, while approaching the downwind side of a ridge of mountains, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and impacted mountainous terrain. During the last radio transmissions from the pilot, he reported having serious difficulties; however, he was unsure of the exact nature of the problem. Following the loss of radar contact, a pilot from a passing airplane approached the accident area and located the wreckage. As the pilot circled the wreckage, he encountered a mountain wave event and elected to depart the area. A meteorological study of weather conditions in the accident area indicated the potential for severe mountain wave activity at the time of the accident. There were also numerous pilot reports specifically identifying encounters with mountain waves and/or severe or extreme turbulence at flight levels close to the accident area. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during enroute
- Loss of control in flight during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,634 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,571 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 6,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Mauroil International Inc
The flight
- Departed from: PUB Pueblo CO at 2:15 am
- Destination: SAF Santa Fe NM
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 am from ALS, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.