Cessna 150F accident near Salida, Colorado, September 11, 1995
On September 11, 1995 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8554G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salida, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE BY THE PILOT TO ADEQUATELY PLAN THE FLIGHT AND THE AIRCRAFT ALTITUDE CAPABILITY. FACTORS ARE: HIGH ALTITUDE, HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, INADEQUATE TRAINING IN MOUNTAIN FLYING, AND LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1995 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Salida, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8554G · no longer on the register · serial 15062654
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLIMB THROUGH A MOUNTAIN PASS ON A CROSS COUNTRY INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT COULD NOT OUT CLIMB TERRAIN. A LANDING WAS MADE ON A ROAD AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A ROCK WALL DURING LANDING ROLL. DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS 12,500 FEET MSL AND THE PUBLISHED AIRCRAFT ALTITUDE CAPABILITY WAS 12,600 FEET MSL. IN ADDITION, THE PILOT HAD NO MOUNTAIN FLYING EXPERIENCE OR TRAINING.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 375 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 290 as pilot in command; 67 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,560 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 31, 1995; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V6 Canon City CO at 5:30 pm
- Destination: MTJ Montrose CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:36 pm from GUC, 40 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.