Cessna 172N accident near Nathrop, Colorado, December 23, 1986
On December 23, 1986 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered CGYDG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nathrop, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- December 23, 1986 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Nathrop, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- CGYDG · no longer on the register · serial 17561674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CANADIAN REGISTERED ACFT, WITH A PVT PLT AND INSTRUCTOR RATED PAX AND TWO PAXS ABOARD, TOOK OFF FROM CANON CITY, CO, ENROUTE TO GUNNISON, CO, TO REFUEL. THIS WAS A CROSS-COUNTRY FLT TO ALLOW THE PLT TO BUILD NECESSARY FLT TIME TOWARDS A COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE. THE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN IN FORMATION WITH ANOTHER CANADIAN ACFT. THE PLT WAS NAVIGATING VIA PILOTAGE AND NOTICED HE WAS FLYING NORTH INSTEAD OF WEST. THE INSTRUCTOR RATED PAX ABOARD THE OTHER ACFT ADVISED THE PLT TO FLY A MAGNETIC HEADING OF 240 DEGS. THE PLT LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE OTHER ACFT AND A TURN WAS MADE OVER THE WRONG CHECKPOINT. THE ACFT WAS AT 10,800 FT MSL AND CLIMBING SLOWLY WHEN THE PLT SAW HIGHER TERRAIN AHEAD. THE ACFT WAS IN A BLIND CANYON AND THE PLT COULD NOT REVERSE COURSE. THE INSTRUCTOR RATED PAX TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT AND PURPOSELY STALLED INTO A SNOW COVERED 12,000 FT MOUNTAIN. THE OTHER ACFT LANDED SAFELY AT GUNNISON.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 91 hours in all; 91 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 47 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,666 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 13, 1986; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lachute Air Service, LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: 1V6 Canon City CO at 3:00 pm
- Destination: GUC Gunnison CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.