Piper PA-32-300 accident near Howard, Colorado, February 8, 1995
On February 8, 1995 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N41345, was destroyed in an accident near Howard, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN INADEQUATE ALTITUDE TO RECOVER FROM TURBULENCE/DOWNDRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION BY THE PILOT, HIS INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE HIGH/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1995 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Howard, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N41345 · no longer on the register · serial 32-7440084
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT DEPARTED A 7489' MSL ELEVATION AIRPORT WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN. THE WEATHER FOR DEPARTURE WAS OVERCAST WITH THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAIN PEAKS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLIMB THROUGH ABOUT 15,000' MSL IN CLOUDS, THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE AND BEGAN TO LOSE ALTITUDE AT A RATE OF ABOUT 2500'/MINUTE. THE PASSENGER SAID THEY EMERGED FROM CLOUD BASES AT ABOUT 12,000' MSL, AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON A FROZEN LAKE AT ABOUT 11,800'MSL. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED AT THE EDGE OF THE LAKE AND CAME TO REST ON THE LAKE WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. THE ELT FUNCTIONED PROPERLY (BUT THE WEATHER WAS UNFAVORABLE FOR RESCUE BY AIR). BOTH OCCUPANTS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES AND SPENT THE 1ST NIGHT IN THE AIRCRAFT. THEY WERE LIGHTLY DRESSED AND HAD NO SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT. THE NEXT DAY THEY ATTEMPTED TO WALK OUT. DURING THE DAY, THE PILOT LOST A SHOE AND BECAME INCREASINGLY DISORIENTED. THEY DECIDED FOR THE PASSENGER TO GO ON AND BRING BACK RESCUERS. THE PASSENGER SPENT THE 2ND NIGHT UNDER AN OVERHANG AND FOUND RESCUERS ON THE MORNING OF THE 3RD DAY. WHEN THE RESCUERS REACHED THE PILOT, HE HAD EXPIRED FROM HYPOTHERMIA. THE PASSENGER, WHO WAS A PILOT, STATED THERE WAS NO PREIMPACT AIRCRAFT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,191 hours in all; 1,075 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,088 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,590 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 1994; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0V2 Salida CO at 10:10 pm
- Destination: CEZ Cortez CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:34 pm from GUC, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.