Cessna 172RG accident near Bayfield, Colorado, October 10, 1995
On October 10, 1995 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N4834V, was destroyed in an accident near Bayfield, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE TERRAIN CLEARANCE. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT DIVERTING ATTENTION WHILE LOOKING FOR GAME.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 1995 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bayfield, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N4834V · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0395
- 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 TWO PASSENGERS HAD CHARTERED THE AIRPLANE AND PILOT TO GO LOOK FOR ELK IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE PILOT OF ANOTHER AIRPLANE, ALSO SEARCHING FOR ELK, SPOTTED THE BURNING WRECKAGE IN THE CARBONATE BASIN, ABOUT 1/2 MILE SOUTH OF MILLER MOUNTAIN, AT THE 11,130-FT LEVEL. HE REPORTED ENCOUNTERING SMOOTH FLYING CONDITIONS AT THE TIME. THE TOP 5 FEET OF A PINE TREE WAS FOUND SEVERED AND ITS BRANCHES WERE FOUND AT THE BASE OF THE TREE ALONG WITH PIECES OF PLEXIGLASS AND THE AIRPLANE'S PITOT TUBE. ANOTHER TREE, 63 FEET AWAY, HAD ITS TOP BENT OVER, THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED 135 FEET AWAY ON THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. THE LEADING EDGES OF BOTH WINGS BORE ACCORDION-TYPE COMPRESSION DAMAGE. THE CALCULATED RATE OF CLIMB CAPABILITY, AT THE COMPUTED DENSITY ALTITUDE OF 10,720 FEET, WAS 340 FEET PER MINUTE.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 724 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 153 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command; 57 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,662 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1995; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DRO Durango CO at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 pm from DRO, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.