Piper PA-28-181 accident near Villa Grove, Colorado, September 1, 1999
On September 1, 1999 at about 2:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N4366D, was destroyed in an accident near Villa Grove, Colorado. It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's improper inflight decision to enter a narrow blind/box canyon, and his misjudgment of the vertical and lateral clearances. A factor was the downdrafts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1999 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Villa Grove, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N4366D · no longer on the register · serial 28-8490088
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An FBI pilot, along with two other special agents in separate airplanes, was receiving agency-sponsored mountain flying instruction. His instructor announced that they were going to practice box canyon turnarounds. Shortly thereafter, white smoke was seen coming from the side of the mountain. Evidence indicates the airplane struck tree tops while in a steep left descending turn in what was described as an extremely tight box canyon.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,858 hours in all; 2,581 as pilot in command; 1,835 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,271 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: COS Colo. Springs CO at 1:30 pm
- Destination: 0V2 Salida CO
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 2 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:20 pm from OV2
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.