Cessna 182P accident near Milner, Colorado, August 17, 1987
On August 17, 1987 at about 4:51 am local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1359S, was destroyed in an accident near Milner, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- August 17, 1987 · about 4:51 am local time
- Place
- Milner, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1359S · no longer on the register · serial 18264922
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ON A FLT FM GREEN BAY, WI TO STEAMBOAT SPGS (SBS), CO, WITH STOPS AT SIOUX CITY & CHEYENNE (CYS). AT 2245, HE CONTACTED DENVER FSS, STATED HE WAS ON FINAL APCH TO SBS & SAID THE RWY LGTS HAD GONE OUT. HE THEN ASKED FOR THE FREQFOR 'PUTTING THEM BACK ON.' THE FSS SPECIALIST CHECKED THE ARPT DIRECTORY & FND NO FREQ LISTED FOR SBS, BUT TOLD THE PLT HE CLD 'TRY FREQ 122.8 . . .' SOON THEREAFTER, THE PLT SAID HE HAD LGTS & CANCELLED HIS FLT PLAN. AT 2251, THE ACFTHIT PWR LINES, CRASHED & BURNED APRX MIDWAY BTN SBS & THE YAMPA VALLEY ARPT AT HAYDEN (HDN), CO. THE CRASH SITE WAS IN AVALLEY AREA AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 6000' MSL. ELEV OF THE ARPTS AT SBS & HDN WERE 6875' & 6597', RESPECTIVELY. THE RWY LGTSAT SBS WERE PRIVATELY OWNED BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRWAYS & WERE TURNED OFF SOMETIME AFTER THE LAST FLT DEPD SBS AT 2025. THE RWY LGTS AT HDN WERE PLT CONTROLLED BY TUNING THE ACFT RADIO TO 122.8 MHZ & DEPRESSING THE MIKE BUTTON 3 TO 7 TIMES,DEPENDING ON THE DESIRED INTENSITY. THE FREQ AT SBS WAS ALSO 122.8 MHZ. NO PREIMPACT MECH PROBLEM WAS FND.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 18 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 1986; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CYS Cheyenne WY at 3:10 am
- Destination: SBS Steamboat Spgs CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from EGE, 54 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.