Piper PA-28-181 accident near Durango, Colorado, November 4, 1987
On November 4, 1987 at about 7:34 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8266U, was destroyed in an accident near Durango, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- November 4, 1987 · about 7:34 pm local time
- Place
- Durango, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8266U · no longer on the register · serial 28-8390002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE TWO PAX HAD CHARTERED N8266U FOR A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT OF THE LOCAL AREA. THE CHARTER PLT, A CFI FOUND THAT ONE OF THE PAX WAS A PLT AND PERMITTED HIM TO FLY THE ACFT. THE PAX EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN SPOTTING ELK AND FLEW THE ACFT INTO A CANYON, BELOW THE CANYON RIDGE LINE. THE ACFT APPROACHED THE END OF THE CANYON AND THE PLT EXECUTED A LEFT TURN. THE BACK SEAT PAX STATED THE STALL WARN HORN SOUNDED DURING THE TURN. THE CFI TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT BUT WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER BEFORE THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE TERRAIN RISES TO ABOVE 10,000 FT. THE CALCULATED CLIMB RATE WAS DETERMINED TO BE 200 FT PER MIN APPROX.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,290 hours in all; 129 in this make and model; 365 in the last 90 days; 1,060 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Durango Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DRO Durango CO at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:57 pm from DRO, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.