Piper PA-32-301T accident near Kit Carson, Colorado, August 17, 1992
On August 17, 1992 at about 2:50 am local time, a Piper PA-32-301T, registered N8175Z, was destroyed in an accident near Kit Carson, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED AND EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING, HIS ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT INTO A LEVEL SIX THUNDERSTORM, AND HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT TIME.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 1992 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Kit Carson, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301T · all PA-32-301Ts on the register
- Registration
- N8175Z · no longer on the register · serial 32-8024014
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THERE IS NO RECORD THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT OBTAINED AN FAA WEATHER BRIEFING OR FILED A FLIGHT PLAN BEFORE DEPARTING HUTCHISON, KS, ENROUTE TO COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND TWO DAYS LATER SCATTERED 0.7 MILES IN AN OPEN FIELD. PIECES OF THE RIGHT WING, HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, AND CABIN ROOF WERE FOUND STREWN ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH. THE LEFT WING AND VERTICAL STABILIZER REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRPLANE BY CONTROL CABLES. THE CABIN WAS GUTTED BY FIRE. THE RIGHT WING SPAR STUB WAS BENT DOWN AND AFT. THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SPAR STUB WAS BENT DOWN AND AFT, AND THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SPAR STUB WAS BENT UP AND AFT. THE PILOT WAS KNOWN TO USE HIS STRIKE FINDER TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THUNDERSTORMS. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA OF KIT CARSON AT THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. MAXIMUM INTENSITY WAS LEVEL SIX.
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: 280 hours in all; 193 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 212 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 1991
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HUT Hutchison KS at 1:00 am
- Destination: COS Colorado Spring CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.