Rockwell 690C accident near Hayden, Colorado, March 8, 1994
On March 8, 1994 at about 2:35 am local time, a Rockwell 690C, registered N5938K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hayden, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE BY THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. A FACTOR WAS DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1994 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Hayden, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 690C
- Registration
- N5938K · no longer on the register · serial 11686
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A VISUAL DESCENT FOR LANDING TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT DURING A DARK NIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON THE TOP OF A 9,600 FOOT MOUNTAIN APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT CONTINUED TO THE AIRPORT AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AFTER SWITCHING FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHT SEAT DUE TO A SHATTERED WIND SCREEN. THE PILOT DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE HAD HIT UNTIL HE INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER LANDING. AIRPORT ELEVATION WAS 6,604 FEET. THE PILOT HAD THE AIRPORT IN SIGHT AND WAS PROCEEDING TO A BASE LEG WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,300 hours in all; 530 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 8,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,976 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,325 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-5-254 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Casper Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: RIW Riverton WY at 1:55 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 am from HDN, 15 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.