Piper PA-46-350P accident near Del Norte, Colorado, May 12, 2006
On May 12, 2006 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-350P, registered N41827, was substantially damaged in an accident near Del Norte, Colorado (Del Norte Municipal & County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall and impact with terrain during a power-on landing. Contributing factors were the pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, and windshear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2006 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Del Norte, Colorado · Del Norte Municipal & County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-350P · all PA-46-350Ps on the register
- Registration
- N41827 · no longer on the register · serial 4636308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been taught to fly a "high and hot final" approach. He made his final approach to runway 26 at 85 KIAS (knots indicated airspeed) with 2 notches of flap deployed. When the airplane was about a mile from the runway, the engine "barked." The pilot enrichened the mixture slightly and the engine ran smoothly. When the airplane was about 150 yards from the runway threshold, it "fell," or began to sink excessively in a nose high attitude. The pilot attributed this sudden descent to windshear. The airplane "landed hard and bounced." The pilot retracted the landing gear (because there was a ditch ahead and he thought it would be better to hit the ditch with the landing gear up) and added power to abort the landing. The airplane touched down again, swerved 90 degrees, and skidded to a halt on the dirt. Post-accident examination revealed no airplane or engine discrepancies. ASOS-observed weather, recorded 36 miles southeast of the accident site, indicated the wind was from 240 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 15 knots.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,691 hours in all; 735 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,018 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTW Fort Worth TX at 6:30 pm
- Destination: 8V1 Del Norte CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,775 ft by 49 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from ALS, 32 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.
Other NTSB records under N41827 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.