Cessna 180 accident near Eagle, Colorado, October 11, 1985
On October 11, 1985 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1611C, was destroyed in an accident near Eagle, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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
- October 11, 1985 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Eagle, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1611C · registry record · serial 30311
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED EAGLE ARPT WITH 3 PAX TO FLY THEM TO THE WHITE OWL LAKE AREA FOR THE REPORTED PURPOSE OF LOOKING FOR A POSSIBLE CAMPING SITE FOR HUNTING ACTIVITIES. THE PLT ENCOUNTERED IMC AND LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT. HE WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. ALL OCCUPANTS WERE FATALLY INJURED. HUNTERS REPORTED LOW CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY WITH SNOW SQUALLS IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING THE ENG SOUND STOP BUT WERE UNAABLE TO SEE THE ACFT BECAUSE VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED BY SNOW. THE ACFT CRASHED ON AN 11,000 FT PLATEAU. EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A 45 DEGREE NOSE LOW, LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE.
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: 623 hours in all; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,857 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 1984; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EAE Eagle CO at 1:08 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 8 knots
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:15 am
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.