Piper PA-22-150 accident near Coaldale, Colorado, July 3, 1999
On July 3, 1999 at about 4:11 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N4753A, was destroyed in an accident near Coaldale, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane for reasons for reasons undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1999 · about 4:11 pm local time
- Place
- Coaldale, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4753A · no longer on the register · serial 22-3900
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had intended on flying his passenger from Boulder, Colorado, to Center, Colorado. He obtained a weather briefing but did not file a flight plan. NTAP data detected a target departing Boulder at 0933. It was tracked to the vicinity of the accident site, where it was lost from radar. The airplane was missing for 9 days. It was located at the 10,350 foot level of Hayden Pass (summit 11,184 feet), between Coaldale and Villa Grove, Colorado. It had collided with trees in a heavily forested area. All the limbs on one side of a tree were broken off, and the airplane lay at its base. Adjoining trees were untouched. There was no evidence of preimpact airframe, flight control, engine, or propeller malfunction/failure. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area.
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: 432 hours in all; 432 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,978 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 23, 1998; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 Boulder CO at 3:33 pm
- Destination: 1V8 Center CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.