Cessna 177 accident near Hygiene, Colorado, August 6, 1991
On August 6, 1991 at about 1:22 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N3185T, was destroyed in an accident near Hygiene, 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
SUICIDE. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE PILOT'S OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1991 · about 1:22 pm local time · cases in 1991
- Place
- Hygiene, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N3185T · registry record · serial 17700485
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE A DISTRESS CALL, GIVING HIS POSITION AND SAYING THAT HE WAS 'GOING IN.' THE WEATHER WAS VFR. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A 5600 FT MOUNTAIN AT THE 5530 FT LEVEL IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. IMPACT OCCURRED ON A STEEP ROCK WALLED AREA OF THE MOUNTAIN AT HIGH SPEED. THE ENGINE CONTROLS WERE POSITIONED FOR POWERED FLIGHT. THE PILOT LEFT HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY, MEDICAL HISTORY, AND HIS WIFE'S DEATH CERTIFICATE IN HIS PARKED CAR. THE PILOT'S MEDICAL HISTORY INDICATED HIS DEPRESSION OVER THE RECENT DEATH OF HIS WIFE & HIS CONCERN ABOUT DETERIORATING HEALTH. THE PILOT'S SON SAID HIS FATHER PLANNED TO COMMIT SUICIDE IN HIS AIRPLANE. A DEATH CERTIFICATE, ISSUED BY THE COUNTY CORONER, LISTED THE PILOT'S DEATH AS A 'SUICIDE.' TOXICOLOGY TEST RESULTS FROM THE PILOT'S LIVER & KIDNEY TISSUE INDICATED THE PRESENCE OF FLUOXETINE, WHICH IS AN INGREDIENT OF PROZAC (PRODUCT NAME), A PRESCRIPTION ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,683 hours in all; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 Boulder CO at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:51 pm from BJC, 20 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3185T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 177 Cardinal 2,159 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A 601 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 384 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,464 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN91FA110.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.