Cessna 195 accident near Aspen, Colorado, July 8, 2000
On July 8, 2000 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N4377V, was destroyed in an accident near Aspen, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's poor in-flight decision to fly up a valley with rapidly rising terrain, which resulted in the airplane colliding with the terrain due to its climb performance being exceeded. A contributing factors was the high, rapidly rising, mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2000 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Aspen, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N4377V · no longer on the register · serial 7299
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew the airplane from the departure airport (field elevation of 7,815 feet msl) to a point approximately 3 miles north before turning southeast and flying up a valley. Local pilots stated that the normal procedure for departing the airport was to fly north 8 to 10 nautical miles north before turning into a different valley. The valley where the wreckage was located was surrounded by rapidly rising terrain on each side and terminated at a mountain ridge with elevations up to 12,700 feet msl. The accident site was located at an elevation of 9,860 feet. The wreckage energy path was oriented almost opposite the direction needed to fly up the valley, indicating that the pilot attempted to reverse direction and fly out of the valley. No anomalies were noted with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation of the aircraft. The density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 10,518 feet.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,282 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ASE Aspen CO at 5:06 pm
- Destination: FTG Watkins CO
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ASE, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.