Piper PA-34-200T accident near Fort Collins, Colorado, October 28, 2000
On October 28, 2000 at about 1:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N238Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Collins, Colorado (Fort Collins/Loveland airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure by the pilot to follow instrument approach procedures and execute a missed approach when the runway environment was not in sight at decision height. A factor was low ceiling.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2000 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Collins, Colorado · Fort Collins/Loveland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N238Z · registry record · serial 34-8070282
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was executing an ILS approach to an uncontrolled airport in low visibility conditions. He had his landing light and strobe lights on and failed to activate the pilot controlled runway lights. When his passenger informed him she saw lights, he went visual and could not see either the ground or runway environment. The aircraft drifted right and impacted the ground approximately 800 feet right and 1,000 feet down the runway. The landing gear collapsed and the aircraft slid to a stop on a taxiway adjacent to the ramp area.
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: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 807 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 587 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,107 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 26, 2000; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-EB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COS Colo. Springs CO at 12:45 pm
- Destination: FNL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 8,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 035° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; clear
- Temperature: 109°F (43°C), dew point 106°F (41°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 pm from FNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.