Beech 35 accident near Allenspark, Colorado, January 11, 1996
On January 11, 1996 at about 10:18 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N3052V, was destroyed in an accident near Allenspark, Colorado. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Aircraft control not maintained by the pilot in command for reasons undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 1996 · about 10:18 pm local time
- Place
- Allenspark, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N3052V · registry record · serial D-465
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing or filing a flight plan. According to radar data, a VFR target departed Longmont, Colorado, at 1502 and proceeded westbound. At 1513, the target made a left 360 degree turn, climbing from 10,700 feet to 10,900 feet, then continued on a westerly course, climbing to 11,200 feet. Radar contact was lost at 1518. The wreckage was located one month later, about 1/2-mile from the last radar position of the target, in an area of 12,000 to 13,000 foot mountains. Two AIRMETs were in effect for Colorado at the time, calling for occasional mountain obscurement in clouds and precipitation, moderate updrafts and downdrafts over the mountains due to developing mountain wave activity, occasional moderate turbulence below 20,000 feet, isolated severe turbulence below 15,000 feet, and the potential for low level wind shear over the eastern slopes of the Rockies due to strong gusty west-northwesterly low level flow near the surface. A witness 10 miles south of the accident site said that on the day of the accident, surface winds in the area were approximately 60 mph with 'a lot of debris blowing along the ground.'
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2 Longmont CO at 10:03 pm
- Destination: PGA Page AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from BJC
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.