Cessna 425 accident near Pueblo, Colorado, May 31, 2003
On May 31, 2003 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 425, registered N425SG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pueblo, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions. Contributing factors include the encounter with severe turbulence and hail.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2003 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pueblo, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 425 · all 425s on the register
- Registration
- N425SG · no longer on the register · serial 425-0166
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage when it encountered hail while in cruise flight. Halfway through the flight, Denver Center advised the pilot "that [his] intersection was closed due to weather" and they changed his route. The flight was at 29,000 feet and was cleared to descend to 27,000 feet. The pilot asked center how long he would be in the rain. The controller replied you should be out of the rain in about 1 or 2 minutes. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft encountered "severe hail, lightning, and turbulence." Weather radar indicated this route of flight passed near an area of moderate thunderstorm activity. The pilot continued to his destination and landed without further incident.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,201 hours in all; 426 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 4,201 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,854 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 14, 2003; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGA Page AZ at 10:00 pm
- Destination: APA Englewood CO
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PUB
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.
Other NTSB records under N425SG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.