Piper PA-24-180 accident near Mosca, Colorado, August 3, 2006
On August 3, 2006 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N5416P, was destroyed in an accident near Mosca, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a non-mechanical partial loss of engine power due to carburetor ice, and the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain. Contributing factors in this accident were weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing and the pilot inadvertently flying into instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2006 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Mosca, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5416P · no longer on the register · serial 24-270
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness, located about two miles from the accident site, said he heard an approaching airplane. He said the engine was "sputtering, like it was missing." He did not see the airplane, but he did hear a loud "pop." He went to a clearing and saw a fire on the mountainside. He said the sky was overcast and the mountaintops were obscured. He estimated the point of impact to be 500 feet below the overcast. After the wreckage was recovered, the engine was disassembled and examined. No anomalies were noted. There was camshaft and crankshaft continuity, and all connecting rods were attached. The carburetor, which had separated from the engine, was examined. The bowl was empty, and the throttle valve was closed. Both the engine-driven and auxiliary fuel pumps were destroyed by fire. The Carburetor Icing Probability Chart was consulted. The temperature and dew point recorded at the nearest weather reporting station, 37 miles south of the accident site, were conducive to "serious icing at cruise power." The temperatures and dew points recorded at the point of departure and destination were conducive to "serious icing at glide power."
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: 261 hours in all; 153 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,909 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PUB Pueblo CO at 2:37 pm
- Destination: ALS Alamosa CO
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.54 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from VTP, 37 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.