Piper PA-25 accident near Salida, Colorado, August 21, 1999
On August 21, 1999 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25, registered N6249Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salida, Colorado (Harriet Alexander airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent stall during an aborted landing. A factor was the pilot's selection of the wrong runway for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1999 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Salida, Colorado · Harriet Alexander · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25 · all PA-25s on the register
- Registration
- N6249Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-307
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he decided to fly the airplane around the traffic pattern one more time before securing it for the day. The windsock indicated the wind was out of the northeast, so he took off on runway 6 and made a crosswind turn midfield. He saw a glider release from its tow plane, and he watched as the tow plane landed and taxied to its staging area. The glider was then 'on a downwind and at the position he was at. . .I had plenty of time to land and turn off.' He took his eyes off the glider to concentrate on his landing. When he touched down, ground personnel directed his attention to the glider that was touching down on the opposite end of the runway. The pilot said he was rolling too fast to apply brakes, so he applied power and lifted off, intending to land on the parallel taxiway. The glider landed and exited the runway at the center intersection. As the pilot gave way to the right, the airplane stalled and impacted the ground. Airport procedures call for takeoffs on runway 06 and landings on runway 24, weather and traffic permitting. According to FAR 91.113(d)(2), 'A glider has the right-of-way over an airship, airplane, or rotorcraft.'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,280 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 8,750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,801 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 1999; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0V2 at 4:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 7,350 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from LXV, 53 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.