Piper PA-28-181 accident near Montrose, Colorado, October 10, 1998
On October 10, 1998 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N39663, was destroyed in an accident near Montrose, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper inflight planning/decision. Factors were a reduction in the airplane's climb and turn capabilities, the aft c.g. limit being exceeded, and the pilot's lack of familiarity with the geographic area and his lack of experience in the airplane make and model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 1998 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Montrose, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N39663 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7990002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The newly certificated private pilot and his wife took the pilot's father and sister for an airplane ride. Hunters heard an airplane flying in the valley, then heard a loud noise. Searchers were guided to the wreckage by the airplane's emergency locator transmitter. The airplane had collided with a large spruce tree while in a steep left bank, 60 feet above the ground, then slid 10 feet down and became entangled in its branches about 50 feet above the ground. The pilot had received his pilot's license 6 days earlier. He had logged 66.5 total hours, of which 4.6 were in airplane make and model. The pilot had also received 4.1 hours of dual instruction in 'mountain course/high altitude' flying. It was calculated that at the time of the accident, the airplane exceeded its aft c.g. limit slightly. Performance charts indicate that under the prevailing conditions, the airplane was capable of climbing about 240 feet per minute.
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: 67 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 20 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,964 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 26, 1998; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air West Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: MTJ CO at 5:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MTJ, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N39663 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.