Amateur-built 70 accident near Durango, Colorado, June 17, 1987
On June 17, 1987 at about 11:00 pm local time, a amateur-built 70 (glider), registered N23405, was substantially damaged in an accident near Durango, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- June 17, 1987 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Durango, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 70
- Registration
- N23405 · no longer on the register · serial 01
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD BEEN FLYING FOR ONE HOUR AND HAD BEEN DOING ACROBATICS. HE HAD STARTED AN INSIDE LOOP AND DURING PULL UP, HE REPORTED INDICATING 5.5 G'S ON HIS NEW G METER. THE PLT REPORTED THAT BOTH WINGS LEFT THE ACFT AND HE JETTISONED THE CANOPY. HE BAILED OUT AND LANDED SAFELY IN TREES. THE ACFT FUSELAGE IMPACTED IN A FIELD AND WAS DESTROYED. THE WINGS AND OTHER WRECKAGE WERE SCATTERED OVER FARM LAND IN A ONE HALF MILE PATH.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 133 hours in all; 133 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 98 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 875 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9C08 Durango CO at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°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.