Amateur-built PTERODACTYL/ASCENDER accident near Las Animas, Colorado, October 29, 1994
On October 29, 1994 at about 4:20 pm local time, a amateur-built PTERODACTYL/ASCENDER, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Las Animas, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A FAILURE OF THE RIGHT WING INTO THE PROPELLER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1994 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Las Animas, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PTERODACTYL/ASCENDER PTERODACTY
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 942
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HOMEBUILT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WHEN THE RIGHT WING FAILED INTO THE PROPELLER. THE AIRCRAFT MADE AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO THE GROUND. THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE PILOT'S FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.
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
- Flight time: 10 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 470 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 430R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hasty CO
- Destination: CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from LHX, 20 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.