Piper PA-34-200T accident near Telluride, Colorado, June 9, 2005
On June 9, 2005 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N81659, was destroyed in an accident near Telluride, Colorado. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain. Contributing to the accident were the high, rising terrain and fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 2005 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Telluride, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N81659 · no longer on the register · serial 34-8070143
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to radar data, the airplane was climbing at an approximate rate of 500 feet per minute (fpm). This rate decreased to 350 fpm, 240 fpm, and approximately 140 fpm over a 24-minute period, prior to impact. Several witnesses fishing in the area heard an airplane fly over head. Shortly thereafter, they heard a loud explosion near the mountain peak and observed a rockslide, dust, and plume of smoke. The sheriff's office was notified and further investigation revealed the wreckage of a light twin-engine airplane. The initial impact point was located approximately 12,800 feet msl, and the main wreckage came to rest at 12,500 feet msl. According to the company, a direct flight is preferred if weather allows. The two instrument flight rules routes proposed in the company manual have minimum en route altitudes (MEA) of 13,000 feet and 15,000 feet. A direct route travels over mountainous terrain with mountain peaks as high as 14,100 feet msl. Air Route Traffic Control Center reported the MEA for such a direct flight as 15,300 msl. According to family members, friends, and colleagues, the pilot was "tired" and displayed symptoms of "burnout." One colleague reported that during an extended flight, the pilot had fallen asleep while acting as pilot in command. Several other passengers that had flown with the pilot reported that he had fallen asleep during their flights. Friends and family members reported that the pilot was "sick of flying" and they were concerned about his "lack of time to sleep." They reported that the pilot had been awakened "in the middle of the night to come back to work" on several occasions. On the morning of the accident, the pilot made several requests for someone to accompany him during his flight because he was tired.
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: 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: 2,726 hours in all; 180 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,109.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 2:55 pm
- Destination: 00C Durango CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 3:28 pm from TEX, 11 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.