Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Steamboat Sprin, Colorado, August 17, 1987
On August 17, 1987 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N7494J, was destroyed in an accident near Steamboat Sprin, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- August 17, 1987 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Steamboat Sprin, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7494J · no longer on the register · serial 28R30855
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N7494J TOOK OFF FROM A HIGH ALT ARPT AND CLIMBED IN THE VIC OF THE ARPT TO 9500 FEET BEFORE PROCEEDING ON COURSE. UPON APPROACHING HIGH TERRAIN THE PLT REALIZED HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ALT TO CLEAR THE TERRAIN AND WAS IN A VALLEY TOO NARROW TO TURN AROUND. HE WAS HOLDING THE OVERRIDE TO DEACTIVATE THE AUTOMATIC LANDING GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM WHEN THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED TURB AND HIS HAND CAME OFF THE OVERRIDE. THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED AND THE ACFT LOST AIRSPEED. AT THAT POINT THE PLT DECIDED AN OFF ARPT FORCED LANDING WAS NECESSARY AND SELECTED A MOUNTAIN MEADOW. DURING THE LANDING IN ROUGH TERRAIN THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,353 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,535 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Clipper Club, INC
The flight
- Destination: LAR Laramie WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.