Globe GC-1B accident near Durango, Colorado, July 27, 1993
On July 27, 1993 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Globe GC-1B, registered N3783K, was destroyed in an accident near Durango, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S ENTRY INTO A BOX CANYON AT AN ALTITUDE INSUFFICIENT TO CLEAR MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1993 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Durango, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Globe GC-1B · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3783K · registry record · serial 1476
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A LOCAL SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT, THE PILOT DECIDED TO FLY TO PURGATORY, CO, A TRIP HE SAID HE HAD MADE 'MANY TIMES BEFORE.' HE TURNED LEFT INTO WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE HERMOSA CREEK DRAINAGE, BUT WAS ACTUALLY THE BUCK CREEK DRAINAGE, AT APPROXIMATELY 6,500 FEET MSL. WHEN HE SAW THE HIGH TERRAIN ON BOTH SIDES AND IN FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE, HE REALIZED HE HAD MADE A MISTAKE, AND HE IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE CLIMB. AS THE AIRPLANE NEARED THE END OF THE CANYON, THE PILOT DECIDED NOT TO RISK STALLING THE AIRPLANE BY ATTEMPTING TO TURN AROUND. INSTEAD, HE SLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO JUST ABOVE STALL SPEED. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE TOPS OF TREES, SPUN AROUND, AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE PASSENGER'S FATAL INJURIES WERE DUE TO POST IMPACT FIRE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,006 hours in all; 340 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,267 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1993; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,970 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce TSIO-360-D0 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from DRO, 19 miles away
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.
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.