Cessna 404 accident near Alamosa, Colorado, June 27, 1995
On June 27, 1995, a Cessna 404, registered N36998, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alamosa, 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
FBO PERSONNEL IMPROPERLY SERVICED THE AIRCRAFT WITH JET FUEL. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE 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
- June 27, 1995
- Place
- Alamosa, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N36998 · no longer on the register · serial 404-0101
- 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
THE PILOT INSTRUCTED THE LINEMAN TO SERVICE THE AIRPLANE WITH 50 GALLONS OF 100-LL AVIATION GASOLINE. AFTER THE AIRPLANE WAS REFUELED, THE PILOT DRAINED THE FUEL SUMPS AND NOTED A CLEAR, BLUE-COLORED FUEL THAT 'SMELLED LIKE GASOLINE.' SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, BOTH ENGINES LOST POWER AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. HE THEN MADE AN INTENTIONAL WHEELS-UP FORCED LANDING. BOTH THE FIXED BASE OPERATOR AND THE LINEMAN STATED THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN INADVERTENTLY SERVICED WITH JET-A FUEL. THE PILOT NOTED THE FUEL TRUCK THAT SERVICED THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A JET FUEL NOZZLE, BUT UTILIZED A STRAIGHT TIP NOZZLE INSTEAD.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,750 as pilot in command; 650 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 5, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALA
- Destination: PUB Pueblo CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.