Mooney M20E accident near Vail, Colorado, July 17, 1987
On July 17, 1987 at about 4:52 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N71SB, was destroyed in an accident near Vail, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- July 17, 1987 · about 4:52 pm local time
- Place
- Vail, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N71SB · registry record · serial 565
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT PROCEEDED UP A BOX CANYON WHILE ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. WHEN UNABLE TO OUT CLIMB TERRAIN, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO REVERSE DIRECTION. DURING THE TURN, THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND CRASHED INTO TREES. THE PILOT HAD NOT RECEIVED INSTRUCTION IN MOUNTAIN FLYING. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,757 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 205 in the last 90 days; 127 in the last 30 days; 570 as pilot in command; 285 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,823 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1987; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EGE Eagle CO at 3:50 pm
- Destination: FOE Topeka KS
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from EGE, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.