Piper PA-32RT-300T accident near Kersey, Colorado, November 20, 1992
On November 20, 1992 at about 7:25 am local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, registered N39683, was destroyed in an accident near Kersey, Colorado (Greeley-Weld County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADVERTENT STALL AND LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO STRUCTURAL ICING. FACTORS WERE: ICING CONDITIONS, AND FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 1992 · about 7:25 am local time
- Place
- Kersey, Colorado · Greeley-Weld County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300T PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300Ts on the register
- Registration
- N39683 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7887141
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON AN IFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT TO THE AIRPORT WHERE THE PILOT AND AIRCRAFT WERE BASED, THE FLIGHT WAS CLEARED TO DESCEND, AND CLEARED FOR AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO THE PLANNED DESTINATION, AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT. RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST WHEN THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED TO AN ALTITUDE BELOW RADAR COVERAGE CAPABILITY. WHEN THE FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT CLOSED, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 12 HOURS LATER, IN A FIELD APPROXIMATELY NINE MILES FROM THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE DARK NIGHT, AND 600 FEET BROKEN CLOUDS WITH FOG. STRUCTURAL ICING CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT, AND WERE FORECAST IN THE WEATHER BRIEFING.
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: 1,545 hours in all; 675 in this make and model; 1,140 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,341 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-SIAD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LBB Lubbock TX at 4:34 am
- Destination: GXY Greeley CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 6,210 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:17 am from GXY, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.