Piper PA-23-160 accident near Franktown, Colorado, December 22, 1993
On December 22, 1993 at about 4:18 am local time, a Piper PA-23-160, registered N4382P, was destroyed in an accident near Franktown, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS THE PILOT'S DISREGARD OF FORECAST ICING CONDITIONS AND DELAYED APPLICATION OF CARBURETOR HEAT, RESULTING IN STRUCTURAL AND INDUCTION ICING. FACTORS WERE THE ICING CONDITIONS AND UNSUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1993 · about 4:18 am local time
- Place
- Franktown, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-160 · all PA-23-160s on the register
- Registration
- N4382P · registry record · serial 23-1890
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN CRUISE FLIGHT, ON A VFR/IFR FLIGHT PLAN, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO ACCUMULATE ICE. ALTITUDE COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED AND POWER WAS REPORTEDLY LOST TO ONE ENGINE. A FORCED LANDING WAS CONDUCTED TO A WOODED AREA. WEATHER WAS IFR IN HEAVY SNOW WITH TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT OF 21 DEGREES. BOTH ENGINES WERE EXAMINED AND NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE DISCOVERED. THE PILOT STATED THAT CARBURETOR HEAT WAS APPLIED AFTER LOSING POWER TO ONE ENGINE. THE PILOT AND THE ATP RATED PASSENGER REQUESTED AND RECEIVED SEVERAL WEATHER REPORTS ON EN ROUTE AND DESTINATION CONDITIONS. THESE REPORTS FORECAST THE ENCOUNTERED CONDITIONS.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 930 hours in all; 215 in this make and model; 141 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days; 760 as pilot in command; 148 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,798 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 1993; 153 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLN Salina KS at 6:00 am
- Destination: APA Englewood CO
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 am from APA, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.