Piper Aircraft Corporation PA-60-601P accident near Del Norte, Colorado, September 27, 2025
On September 27, 2025 at about 10:31 pm local time, a 1980 Piper Aircraft Corporation PA-60-601P, registered N3635A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Del Norte, Colorado (Astronaut Kent Rominger airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of directional control during landing roll due to a flat tire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2025 · about 10:31 pm local time
- Place
- Del Norte, Colorado · Astronaut Kent Rominger · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft Corporation PA-60-601P, built 1980 · all PA-60-601Ps on the register
- Registration
- N3635A · registry record · serial 61P07748063387
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the airplane landed on the runway and pulled hard to the right. He attempted to maintain the runway centerline, however, as the airplane slowed down, the airplane continued to pull hard to the right. The airplane exited the runway surface and went into the sage brush. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. During a post-accident walk around, the pilot noticed that the right main landing gear tire was flat.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Tire casing › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,362 hours in all; 253 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 4,260 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 29, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,511.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 6,315 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-540-AA1A5 (piston); 546 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-540-AA1A5 (piston); 369 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYS Hays KS at 8:48 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06/2, 6,051 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.24 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from KRCV
Weather report (METAR): KRCV 272235Z AUTO 12008KT 10SM BKN120 20/M01 A3024 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT S AND W T02011014,M
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 9, 2026. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 CEN25LA398.