Cessna 404 accident near Aspen, Colorado, December 27, 1982
On December 27, 1982 at about 2:43 pm local time, a Cessna 404, registered N5301J, was destroyed in an accident near Aspen, Colorado (Aspen-Pitkin County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed, 3 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- December 27, 1982 · about 2:43 pm local time
- Place
- Aspen, Colorado · Aspen-Pitkin County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 3 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N5301J · no longer on the register · serial 4040643
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT PAX, WHO IS A PRIVATE PLT, STATED THAT THE PLT DID NOT USE TAKEOFF FLAPS. THE ACFT LIFTED OFF AT ABOUT 85K & IMMEDIATELY STARTED BUFFETING. THE ACFT THEN IMPACTED A HIGHWAY IN A NOSE HIGH, LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE & COLLIDED WITH A ROCK FACE MOUNTAIN. ACCORDING TO THE ACFT OPERATING MANUAL THE RATE-OF-CLIMB/MAXIMUM CLIMB CHART INDICATES THAT (WITH WING FLAPS UP AT A DENSITY ALT OF 6,000 FT) THE ACFT REQUIRED A CLIMB SPEED OF 103K. FLAPS UP LIFT OFF SPEED IS 95K.
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: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 18 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 373 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ASE Aspen CO at 7:43 am
- Destination: C Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 6,001 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 am from ASE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.