Amateur-built MUSTANG II accident near Crested Butte, Colorado, July 28, 1996
On July 28, 1996 at about 8:08 pm local time, a amateur-built MUSTANG II, registered N16WY, was destroyed in an accident near Crested Butte, Colorado. It was a personal 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
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor was the inadequatete altitude in which to effect a safe recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1996 · about 8:08 pm local time
- Place
- Crested Butte, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MUSTANG II
- Registration
- N16WY · registry record · serial M-II-1246
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The two experimental airplanes, a Long EZ and a Mustang II, were flying patterns over the town at 1200 to 1300 feet agl as part of an aerial weekend. According to the pilot of the Long EZ, they flew abeam of each other then made a converging turn --- the Long EZ climbing and turning left, and the Mustang II climbing and turning right --- with the intention of rejoining. The pilot of the Long EZ said that as he completed 45 degrees of the turn, he looked through the top of his canopy and saw the Mustang II in a 120-135 degrees left bank and approximately 80 degrees nose low attitude. He said the pilot appeared to be pulling out of the dive when ground impact occurred.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,378 hours in all; 142 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,486 as pilot in command; 1,028 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 287 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 7, 1995; 177 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GUC Gunnison CO at 7:30 pm
- Destination: WDG Enid OK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from GUC, 26 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.