Piper PA-24-250 accident near Hayden, Colorado, July 11, 1987
On July 11, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N7858P, was destroyed in an accident near Hayden, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- July 11, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hayden, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7858P · registry record · serial 243081
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND TWO PAX WERE PARTICIPATING IN THE DENVER, CO TO JACKPOT, NV AIR CLASSIC. THE ACFT DEPARTED, DESTINED FOR ROCK SPRINGS, WY. THE PLT WAS BELIEVED BY A FRIEND TO HAVE BEEN NAVIGATING WITH THE USE OF A RECENTLY INSTALLED RNAV SYSTEM. THE PLT RADIOED A FRIEND FLYING IN THE CLASSIC THAT HE HAD ENCOUNTERED 'HEAVY RAIN' IN THE HAYDEN AREA. WITNESSES STATED THE HIGH TERRAIN WAS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECH MALFUNCTION OF ACFT.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,044 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 1987; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1W1 Watkins CO at 2:41 pm
- Destination: RKS Rock Springs CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from SBS, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.