Cessna 320 accident near Falcon, Colorado, August 7, 2001
On August 7, 2001 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Cessna 320, registered N3338P, was destroyed in an accident near Falcon, Colorado (Meadow Lake Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff following a loss of right engine power. A factor was the loss of right engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2001 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Falcon, Colorado · Meadow Lake Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320 · all 320s on the register
- Registration
- N3338P · no longer on the register · serial 320-0082
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observed the twin engine airplane on takeoff roll 3/4 of the way down the runway "not having achieved any lift." Subsequently, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, became airborne, entered a left turn, stalled, and impacted the ground. The witness observed black smoke coming from the right engine during the initial climb. The pilot rated passenger in the right front seat reported that since the right engine was "reworked several months prior to the accident," it would "flood out" when the mixture control was advanced. The passenger further stated that during the takeoff roll, the pilot was "not able to bring the mixture up on the right engine;" however, the pilot continued the takeoff.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 599 hours in all; 114 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 514 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 11, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,333.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 2000; 164.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,990 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-470-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 00V Falcon CO at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from COS, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.