Piper PA-60-601P accident near Burlington, Colorado, July 6, 2023
On July 6, 2023 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA-60-601P, registered N100PB, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Burlington, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control in flight and subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2023 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-601P Aerostar, built 1978 · all PA-60-601Ps on the register
- Registration
- N100PB · registry record · serial 61P05847963257
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed the airport about 1330 local time for an unknown destination in visual flight rules conditions. The accident site was located about 12 nautical miles (nm) from the airport; however, the airplane’s flight path and time of the accident are unknown as there was no flight track or recorded data available; there were no witnesses to the accident. Postaccident examination revealed no preimpact anomalies with the airplane or engines that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions after the airplane’s departure suggest the airplane may have encountered an area of deteriorating weather and instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) that reduced visibility and obscured terrain. However, as the accident time is unknown, the investigation was unable to determine if the airplane crashed during a time of deteriorating weather. The pilot was also operating the airplane with an inoperative GPS, which could have decreased the pilot’s ability to maintain situational awareness. The accident site signatures were consistent with a loss of control and impact with terrain. An autopsy was conducted on the pilot; however, due to the condition of the remains, it could not be determined if an impairing condition or natural disease contributed to the accident. An unknown quantity of ethanol detected by toxicological testing may have been from postmortem production; however, the limited results also do not exclude the possibility of ethanol consumption or related impairment.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute
- Loss of control in flight during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Navigation system › Global positioning sys (GPS) › Inoperative
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ITR Burlington CO at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft; a few clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KITR, 12 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KITR 061953Z AUTO 13014KT 10SM FEW010 OVC018 19/16 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP162 T01890156
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on July 23, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Engine and Propeller Examination Summary | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Meteorology | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photographs | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum of Record - Airport Lobby Surveillance Video | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Hartzell Propeller Exam Report | PDF, 34 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Fuel Receipts Kitr N1000PB | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N100PB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN23FA285.