Piper PA-28RT-201T accident near Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, November 22, 1985
On November 22, 1985 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201T, registered N2925U, was destroyed in an accident near Cheyenne Wells, Colorado (Cheyenne Wells airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- November 22, 1985 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Cheyenne Wells, Colorado · Cheyenne Wells · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201T PA-28RT-20 · all PA-28RT-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N2925U · no longer on the register · serial 28R7931258
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEPARTING APA. THERE WAS A COLD FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVING DOWN FROM THE NORTH BUT WX WAS FORECAST TO BE VFR FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. THE PLT AND A PLT-PAX FLEW TO JLN WHERE THE PLT-PAX DISEMBARKED. THE PLT DID NOT OBTAINED AN UPDATED WX BRIEFING. ACFT WAS OBSERVED BY LOCAL SHERIFF TO COLLIDE WITH POWER LINES AND CONTINUE FLYING FOR 4.5 MI BEFORE CRASHING AND BURNING. SHERIFF DESCRIBED WX AS FREEZING DRIZZLE AND 100 YARDS VISIBILITY WITH THE ROADS GETTING SLICK.
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: 250 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 872 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1985; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TS10-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: JLN Joplin MO at 7:30 pm
- Destination: APA Englewood CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: at 12 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.