Cessna 182R accident near Idaho Springs, Colorado, October 13, 2004
On October 13, 2004 at about 1:38 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N9437H, was destroyed in an accident near Idaho Springs, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain, and his inadequate planning and decision making resulting in VFR flight into IMC. Contributing factors include the pilot's self-induced pressure to arrive at his destination, the low ceiling and the fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 2004 · about 1:38 pm local time
- Place
- Idaho Springs, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N9437H · no longer on the register · serial 18267948
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At 0500 the pilot called FAA's Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS). He asked the briefer for any reports of cloud tops in the Denver area. The briefer said that the forecast called "for the tops layered to twenty four thousand" feet. The briefer said the weather was improving in the Denver area, but weather conditions in the Aspen area were not expected to improve until later in the day. The pilot did not obtain a full weather briefing and declined a briefing on adverse weather conditions. At 0630, the pilot told a business associate his situation. He called the associate again at 0659 and told him that he was going to fly north to go around the weather. The airplane was reported missing when it failed to arrive in at its destination. The next afternoon, a surveyor came upon the wreckage. The wreckage was located in rising, wooded terrain. A witness, who resided approximately 1 mile uphill from the accident site, said he heard an airplane fly overhead at the approximate time of the accident. The witness said he heard the engine power "cut back" and then "power up" again. He said it sounded as if the airplane was 200 to 300 feet above the ground, flying in a southeasterly direction. He was unable to see the airplane due to poor visibility, low clouds, and fog. Weather 3 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, was as follows: "Wind, 360 degrees at 8 knots; visibility, less than 1/4 statute mile, light snow; sky condition, overcast 200 feet agl; temperature, minus 5 degrees C.; dew point, minus 6 degrees C. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,914 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 27, 2004; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Aspen Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 1:17 pm
- Destination: ASE Aspen CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 1:36 pm from CCU, 33 miles away
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.