Piper PA-32-260 accident near Aspen, Colorado, August 16, 1999
On August 16, 1999 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N991RC, was destroyed in an accident near Aspen, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in flight planning. Factors were the high density altitude, the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing, and the sign post that the right wing impacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1999 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Aspen, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N991RC · no longer on the register · serial 7400030
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he departed runway 33 at Aspen, turned right crosswind, and headed towards the pass. He said that when he got above 11,000 feet msl, 'the airplane really got mushy.' He said that he believed that he wasn't going to make it over the pass (elevation 12,095 feet), so he landed straight ahead. During the landing on brush covered rising mountainous terrain, the right wing impacted a sign post wing and the airplane spun 180 degrees. The density altitude at the accident site was 13,136 feet.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 910 hours in all; 756 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 862 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,725 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1999; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASE at 2:45 pm
- Destination: SGR Sugar Land TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from ASE, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.