Raytheon Aircraft Company A36 accident near Gilcrest, Colorado, June 7, 2004
On June 7, 2004 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company A36, registered N6162E, was destroyed in an accident near Gilcrest, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision by his failure to switch fuel tank selector position which resulted in fuel starvation. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2004 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Gilcrest, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company A36
- Registration
- N6162E · no longer on the register · serial E-3492
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses driving north on the highway observed the airplane flying low to the ground, in a northerly direction. According to one witness, the airplane's wings rocked from side to side and then the airplane pitched up. The airplane's nose dropped and the airplane impacted in a right wing low attitude. The airplane came to rest in a sod field approximately 1/4 mile east of the highway. One witness who had exited his vehicle noted a strong fuel smell. The surviving passenger stated that the "airplane shuttered, and a lot of the alarms on the plane started going off." The passenger estimated that they were approximately 500 feet agl and had been attempting to climb. According to the passenger, the pilot "could [not] reach the switch for the gas tanks" so the front seat passenger switched it. The passenger was not sure if they tried to start the engine. She heard the front seat passenger make the mayday call and could not recall anything after the impact.
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: 139 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 5 in the last 30 days; 43 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 27, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 95 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 2004; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2 Longmont CO at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.61 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from FNL, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.