Piper PA-28-235 accident near Aurora, Colorado, October 26, 1994
On October 26, 1994 at about 1:06 am local time, a Piper PA-28-235, registered N8954W, was destroyed in an accident near Aurora, Colorado (Aurora Airpark airport). It was an instructional 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 CFI's FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS WERE: A DARK, MOONLESS NIGHT WITH NO VISIBLE HORIZON AND RECENCY OF NIGHT EXPERIENCE BY THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1994 · about 1:06 am local time
- Place
- Aurora, Colorado · Aurora Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235 · all PA-28-235s on the register
- Registration
- N8954W · no longer on the register · serial 28-10527
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CONDUCTING A NIGHT CHECK OUT INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, AND WHILE IN THE PATTERN, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND WHILE IN A LEFT TURN OFF THE END OF THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR, DARK NIGHT WITH NO MOON. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE HORIZON IN THE DIRECTION THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HAD NO NIGHT EXPERIENCE IN THE RECENT PAST.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,220 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 265 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 5,110 as pilot in command; 1,654 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,253 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 21, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: O1V
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,694 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from DEN, 5 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.