Amateur-built CHRISTEN EAGLE II accident near Parker, Colorado, October 30, 1988
On October 30, 1988 at about 9:15 pm local time, a amateur-built CHRISTEN EAGLE II, registered N25DJ, was destroyed in an accident near Parker, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- October 30, 1988 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Parker, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHRISTEN EAGLE II CHRISTEN E
- Registration
- N25DJ · no longer on the register · serial JONES-0001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PERFORMING AEROBATICS IN A HOMEBUILT CHRISTEN EAGLE NEAR HIS GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE WHERE A BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS IN PROGRESS. WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT EXECUTED A ROLL AT LOW ALTITUDE AND 'WENT STRAIGHT IN.' WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR AND EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR DEFICIENCY.
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: 1,122 hours in all; 258 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1,020 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 488 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1988; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 AID (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1W1 Denver CO at 8:45 pm
- Destination: 1W1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from APA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.