Cessna 172RG accident near Fairplay, Colorado, July 24, 1992
On July 24, 1992 at about 1:23 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N4963R, was destroyed in an accident near Fairplay, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S OPERATION AT AN ALTITUDE INSUFFICIENT TO CLEAR OBSTACLES IN RISING MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS WERE: HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, DIVERSION OF THE INSTRUCTOR'S ATTENTION, AND THE RISING TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1992 · about 1:23 pm local time
- Place
- Fairplay, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N4963R · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0037
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO GIVE THE PILOT A MOUNTAIN FLYING CHECKOUT. A PILOT RATED PASSENGER WAS IN THE BACK SEAT OBSERVING. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND INDICATED HE WANTED TO SHOW BOTH PILOTS A CAMP SITE WHERE HE HAD CAMPED SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE. THE INSTRUCTOR FLEW UP A MOUNTAINOUS VALLEY WHILE THE PILOT OPERATED A VIDEO CAMERA. THE PASSENGER SAID THEY WERE FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDE AND BELOW RIDGES RISING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AIRPLANE. EXAMINATION OF THE VIDEO TAPE CORROBORATED STATEMENTS MADE BY THE PILOT AND PASSENGER, AND DEPICTED THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO AND INCLUDING THE IMPACT. COMPUTED DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 12,245 FEET MSL.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,639 hours in all; 675 in this make and model; 112 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,473 as pilot in command; 1,363 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,881 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 1992; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Emery Aviation College
The flight
- Departed from: COS Colorado Spring CO at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
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.