Cessna T207A accident near Telluride, Colorado, September 9, 2005
On September 9, 2005 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna T207A, registered N207GR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Telluride, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision and failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and the rising terrain and encounter with downdrafts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2005 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Telluride, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T207A · all T207As on the register
- Registration
- N207GR · registry record · serial 20700485
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While attempting to climb over rising terrain, the airplane encountered downdrafts, stalled, and impacted terrain. The pilot flew the airplane at an altitude of 10,600 feet msl toward the leeward side of a ridge after departure from the local airport. The pilot reported the airplane had a "good rate of climb" until reaching the ridge line and then encountered downdrafts. Upon reaching the ridge, the airplane stopped climbing and began a descent. The pilot raised the nose of the airplane in an attempt to clear the ridge and he heard the stall warning horn. Subsequently, the airplane stalled and impacted terrain approximately 200 feet below the ridge line.
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: 1,100 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TEX Telluride CO
- Destination: MTJ Montrose CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.