Cessna 182J accident near La Veta, Colorado, July 6, 1999
On July 6, 1999 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182J, registered N3334F, was destroyed in an accident near La Veta, Colorado. 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
The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Factors were low ceiling and the pilot's lack of instrument experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 1999 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- La Veta, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182J · all 182Js on the register
- Registration
- N3334F · no longer on the register · serial 182-57334
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight entered instrument conditions shortly after takeoff. The pilot was not instrument rated and had no instrument experience. The aircraft was observed by a witness to exit the base of the overcast cloud layer at high speed in a steep dive. The aircraft impacted the ground and disintegrated with a wreckage scatter pattern, which extended for 1,900 feet. The airspeed indicator was recovered with the needle jammed into the face at 190 miles per hour.
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: 113 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 32 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,482 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 17, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 07V at 1:35 pm
- Destination: AMA Amarillo TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from PUB, 80 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.