Convair 580 accident near Durango, Colorado, February 3, 1988
On February 3, 1988 at about 3:32 am local time, a Convair 580, registered N5808, was substantially damaged in an accident near Durango, Colorado (La Plata County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. 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
- February 3, 1988 · about 3:32 am local time
- Place
- Durango, Colorado · La Plata County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Convair 580
- Registration
- N5808 · registry record · serial 348
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER MAKING AN IFR APPROACH, THE PILOT MADE A GO-AROUND BECAUSE HE WAS BLINDED BY THE REFLECTION OF THE LANDING/TAXI LIGHTS AGAINST THE FALLING SNOW. THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE SECOND APPROACH. THE PILOT SAID HE SENSED THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTING TO THE LEFT AND HE TRIED TO CORRECT, BUT IT COLLIDED WITH A SNOW BANK. THE INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF AIRCRAFT HYDROPLANING OR SKIDDING. AIRPORT MANAGEMENT ELECTED TO DELAY PLOWING THE RUNWAY FOR FEAR OF IT FREEZING OVER. PASSENGERS CLAIMED THERE WAS 2-3 INCHES OF SNOW ON TOP OF A 3/4- INCH LAYER OF SLUSH. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE OF VARIOUS INTENSITIES BECAUSE SOME UNAPPROVED LIGHT BULBS OF DIFFERENT AMPERAGE WERE USED. THE RUNWAY WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH CENTERLINE LIGHTING. THE PAINTED WHITE CENTERLINE STRIPE WAS COVERED BY SNOW AND SLUSH.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,342 hours in all; 2,858 in this make and model; 221 in the last 90 days; 98 in the last 30 days; 4,211 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 53,781 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 23, 1988; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 54,600 lb
- Seats: 53
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 501D-13-H (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 1:55 am
- Destination: DRO Durango CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 9,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:37 am from DRO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.