Cessna T303 accident near Kiowa, Colorado, January 12, 1988
On January 12, 1988 at about 3:10 am local time, a Cessna T303, registered N9565T, was destroyed in an accident near Kiowa, Colorado. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 12, 1988 · about 3:10 am local time
- Place
- Kiowa, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T303 · all T303s on the register
- Registration
- N9565T · no longer on the register · serial T30300027
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OBTAINED TWO WX BRIEFINGS AND FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN TO EL PASO, TX. HE WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. THE ACFT DEPARTED APA AT 1959 AND DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR AT 2010. THE CRASH SITE WAS 11- 1/2 MI SE OF THE KIOWA VORTAC AND 36 MI SE OF APA. RADAR SHOWED A 15-MI WIDE BAND OF SNOW SHOWERS SE OF THE KIOWA VORTAC. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. PLT MEDICAL CERTIFICATE STATED, 'NOT VALID FOR NIGHT FLIGHT OR BY COLOR CONTROL.' PLT AUTOPSY ALSO DISCLOSED 'MYXOMATOUS ALTERATION OF THE MITRAL VALVE, CONSISTENT WITH MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE (FLOPPY MITRAL VALVE).'
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,550 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 4,470 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,070 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 28, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 5,150 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-AE (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Amspray Sales Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 2:59 am
- Destination: ELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 20 knots, gusting 40
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.