Mooney M20B accident near Near Salida, Colorado, April 6, 1982
On April 6, 1982 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Mooney M20B, registered N74734, was destroyed in an accident near Near Salida, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1982 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Near Salida, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20B · all M20Bs on the register
- Registration
- N74734 · no longer on the register · serial 1734
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING SALIDA AT APPROXIMATELY 0820 THE PLT RADIOED OVER UNICOM THAT THE CLOUDS IN THE LOCAL AREA HAD BASES OF 12,500 FT MSL & TOPS AT 16,500 FT MSL. ABOUT 15 MIN LATER THE ACFT IMPACTED A MOUNTAIN AT THE 13,500 FT LEVEL. THERE WERE FLT PRECAUTIONS OVER & NEAR THE MOUNTAINS OF WYOMING & COLORADO FOR OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURBULENCE BELOW 20,000 FT WITH STRONG UP DRAFTS ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES. ALSO MOUNTAINS OF WYOMING & COLORADO OCCASIONALLY OBSCURED ABOVE 7,000 TO 10,000 FT WITH CLOUDS & SNOW. AT 0845 A HELICOPTER PLT REPORTED UNABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE FROM CORONA PASS TO ESTES PARK DUE TO BLOWING SNOW & CLOUDS OBSCURING THE MOUNTAINS. THE PAX HELD A COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE WITH AN INSTRUMENT RATING BUT REPORTEDLY DID NOT MEET THE CURRENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR IFR FLT.
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: 3,085 hours in all; 672 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,042 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 163 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OVZ Salida CO at 8:20 am
- Destination: GUC Gunnison CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.