Beech 35 accident near Glenwood Sprgs, Colorado, April 17, 2001
On April 17, 2001 at about 10:27 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N2PZ, was destroyed in an accident near Glenwood Sprgs, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control, and the subsequent inadvertent stall/mush to the ground. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of experience in make/model airplane, the high density altitude weather condition, and the pilot's attempted departure with a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2001 · about 10:27 pm local time
- Place
- Glenwood Sprgs, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N2PZ · registry record · serial D-46
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing on runway 14, with a tailwind, at a mountain airport (elevation 5,916 feet; density altitude 8,016 feet) with near the aft limit CG. Witnesses said that the airplane rotated quickly and excessively. They said that the landing gear doors opened almost immediately even though the airplane's speed appeared slow and its pitch remained excessively high. Several of the witnesses observed the airplane wobbling side to side. A flight instructor, who was watching the departure, said that airplane never got higher than 100 feet above the ground. He said that he saw the airplane pitch up even more (the longitudinal trim was found 10 degrees nose down), and then it stalled into the ground. The pilot had purchased the airplane on March 30, 2001, and reported, on an insurance application for the airplane, that he had approximately 200 hours of total flight experience over 10 years, with 15 hours in retractable gear aircraft. The pilot had accumulated an estimated 20 hours of flight experience in the airplane by the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact discrepancies.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,573 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 25, 2001; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GWS Glenwood Spring CO at 10:27 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 pm from EGE, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.