Cessna A185F accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, May 16, 1984
On May 16, 1984 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N714PM, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- May 16, 1984 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Junction, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N714PM · no longer on the register · serial 18504408
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) WAS CHECKING OUT ANOTHER PLT ON A PIPELINE ROUTE. THE COPILOT WAS OCCUPYING THE LEFT SEAT & WAS FLYING THE ACFT. WHILE SURVEYING THE PIPELINE, THEY PROCEEDED NORTH UP A CANYON TOWARD DOUGLAS PASS. NO TURBULENCE & LITTLE EFFECT FROM THE WIND WAS NOTED AS THEY WERE EN ROUTE TO THE PASS. AS THEY APCHD THE PASS. A CLIMB WAS STARTED WITH CLIMB POWER. HOWEVER, ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE PASS, & SEVERAL HUNDRED FT BELOW IT, A DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE PIC TOOK CONTROL, APPLIED FULL POWER & TURNED TO CREST A HILL & DESCEND IN A VALLEY. HE THEN NOTICED HE WAS SINKING TOO FAST & TURNED IN THE OPPOSITED DIRECTION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 8000 FT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,325 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 7,075 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 654 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 5, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,550 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 10-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Pocatello ID
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:40 pm from GJT, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.