Piper PA-24-250 accident near Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 5, 2012
On October 5, 2012 at about 8:44 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6661P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Colorado Springs, Colorado (Meadow Lake Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during the landing with known structural icing, which resulted in the airplane’s stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to divert to an area where conditions were not conducive to icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2012 · about 8:44 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Springs, Colorado · Meadow Lake Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6661P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1784
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An air traffic controller provided the pilot with an altitude at which to cruise, but the airplane began accumulating structural icing. The pilot requested a lower altitude, but the altitude was still in clouds and the airplane continued to accumulate ice; the controller was unable to provide an even lower altitude to the pilot due to the minimum vectoring altitude. The pilot then visually acquired the airport, at which point the airplane had accumulated 1 1/2 to 2 inches of structural icing. The pilot kept the airplane's speed up during the pattern; however, on short final he reduced power and the airplane stalled about 105 mph. The airplane impacted terrain short of the runway and sustained substantial left and right wing damage. He reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane during the flight that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot indicated that he should have obtained the weather conditions at his destination in flight, because they had worsened, or he should have sought an ice-free solution, which may have been behind his flight path.
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
- Structural icing during enroute defining event
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 816 hours in all; 430 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 741 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 14, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,117.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1C5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Six One Papa LLC
The flight
- Departed from: CPS Cahokia IL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: FLY Colorado Springs CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 6,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 8:32 pm from FLY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N6661P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.