Cessna P172D accident near Crested Butte, Colorado, April 8, 1989
On April 8, 1989 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna P172D, registered N8562X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crested Butte, Colorado (Crested Butte airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT SELECTED A RUNWAY WITH UNSUITABLE CONDITIONS FOR TAKING OFF. THE UNFAVORABLE WIND AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 1989 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crested Butte, Colorado · Crested Butte · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P172D · all P172Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8562X · no longer on the register · serial P17257162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & A FRIEND FLEW TO ANOTHER ARPT IN THE LOCAL AREA. AFTER ARRIVING AT THAT ARPT, THE PLT CHECKED THE WIND SOCK & ELECTED TO LAND ON RWY 11. DRG THE LANDING, THE ACFT ENCTRD SNOW ON THE RWY THAT WAS DEEPER THAN EXPECTED. DUE TO THE SLOPE OF THE RWY, THE PLT ELECTED TO TAKE OFF IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION (DOWNHILL) WITH A SLIGHT TAILWIND. THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE, BUT WOULD ONLY CLIMB ABOUT 5 FT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT HIT A 6 FT SNOW BANK & NOSED OVER. THE PLT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE ACDNT OCCURRED DUE TO WIND GUSTS FROM BEHIND & THE ACFT HITTING DRIFTS THAT SLOWED IT DOWN.
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
- Flight time: 190 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GWS at 6:30 pm
- Destination: GWS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN89LA103.