Beech 35-C33 accident near Telluride, Colorado, September 15, 2006
On September 15, 2006 at about 4:33 pm local time, a Beech 35-C33, registered N5893J, was destroyed in an accident near Telluride, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent flight into mountain wave turbulence resulting in the airplane's loss of control and subsequent impact into mountainous terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were the mountain wave turbulence and high winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2006 · about 4:33 pm local time
- Place
- Telluride, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-C33 · all 35-C33s on the register
- Registration
- N5893J · no longer on the register · serial CD-921
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on the final leg of a cross-country flight to Telluride, Colorado. Denver Center picked up the airplane on radar approximately 38 miles northwest of Taos, New Mexico, heading toward Pagosa Springs, Colorado, at 15,800 feet. Just southeast of Pagosa Springs, the airplane turned toward the southwest. Approximately 5 minutes later, the airplane resumed a west-northwesterly course toward the Telluride area. Approximately 25 miles south of the Telluride Regional Airport, the airplane made a turn to the north. The airplane had descended to 15,000 feet. One minute later, radar showed the airplane in a 600 foot-per-minute descent that eventually took the airplane below 14,000 feet. Approximately 12 miles south of the airport, the airplane turned to the west-northwest. The airplane was at 13,900 feet on a course toward Wilson Peak and the Lizard Head Pass area. Approximately 3 miles southeast of Wilson Peak (elevation 14,246 feet), radar showed the airplane enter a 2,000 foot-per-minute descent. The airplane's groundspeed increased from 149 to 260 knots. The airplane leveled off momentarily at 13,400 feet and then entered a 2,000 foot-per-minute climb. The airplane's groundspeed was 191 knots. Approximately 12 seconds later, radar contact with the airplane was lost. At last contact, the airplane was at 13,500 feet and within 1 mile of the southeast face of Wilson Peak. Rescue teams located the airplane near the summit of Wilson Peak the following day. Airplane wreckage was located on all sides of the mountain. An examination of the wreckage at the scene showed no pre-impact anomalies. A meteorological study of weather conditions around Wilson Peak at the time of the accident indicated the potential for severe turbulence and rotors.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,631.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SKX Taos NM at 3:02 pm
- Destination: TEX Telluride CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from TEX, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.