Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Chromo, Colorado, September 24, 2002
On September 24, 2002 at about 2:15 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N6227J, was destroyed in an accident near Chromo, Colorado. It was a positioning 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 failure to maintain clearance with the mountainous terrain during the cross-country flight. A contributing factor was the dark night light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 2002 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Chromo, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N6227J · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7635323
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In dark night visual conditions, the airplane impacted the heavily wooded mountainous terrain, at an elevation of 11,100 feet. On the morning of the accident flight, the private pilot and flight instructor purchased the airplane through an aviation brokerage company. Due to the some unexpected financing problems, the flight instructor and private pilot, who was receiving a checkout flight, departed the airport approximately 4.5 hours later than originally planned. While at an intermediate fuel stop, one of the pilots obtained an updated weather briefing from a flight service station. Shortly after departure from the airport, the pilots requested flight following from air traffic control to their planned destination. The last radar contact with the accident airplane was approximately 45 minutes after departure, at an altitude of 10,700 feet. The wreckage energy path measured approximately 75 feet in length on a measured magnetic heading of 060 degrees. The airplane came to rest upright on a estimated 60-degree slope, and the fuselage displayed forward to aft accordion type crush damage. During the examination of the wreckage, no aircraft or engine anomalies were noted that would have prevented normal operations.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 272 hours in all; 27 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 202 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 3, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,851.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 16, 2002; 7.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C(1)C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FMN Farmington NM
- Destination: APA Denver CO
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from FMN, 85 miles away
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.