Beech A36 accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, April 3, 1988
On April 3, 1988 at about 9:44 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N5WW, was destroyed in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado (Colorado Springs airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- April 3, 1988 · about 9:44 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · Colorado Springs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N5WW · registry record · serial E207
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF THE ACFT FAILED TO CLIMB SUFFICIENTLY TO CLEAR A UTILITY POLE ONE-HALF MILE OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE POLE AND CRASHED IN A RESIDENTIAL STREET. THE PLT AND THREE PAX WERE FATALLY INJURED AND THE ACFT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. AVAILABLE INFORMATION INDICATES THAT POWER REQUIRED WAS GREATER THAN POWER AVAILABLE FOR TAKEOFF AT NEAR MAX GROSS WT FROM THE HIGH ALTITUDE, HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE ARPT, AND THE PLT WAS INEXPERIENCED IN HIGH ALTITUDE ARPT OPERATIONS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 668 hours in all; 242 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 530 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,083 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 8, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: CID Cedar Rapids IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 11,021 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from COS, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.