Amateur-built BABY ACE D accident near New Raymer, Colorado, August 25, 1996
On August 25, 1996 at about 1:14 am local time, a amateur-built BABY ACE D, registered N316F, was destroyed in an accident near New Raymer, Colorado (Williams Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control for reasons undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1996 · about 1:14 am local time
- Place
- New Raymer, Colorado · Williams Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BABY ACE D
- Registration
- N316F · registry record · serial BF001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that when he turned onto final approach, the 'aircraft seemed to drop out of (the) sky from a wings level attitude.' A witness stated he observed the pilot perform 'a very nicely executed' wingover from an altitude of 150 to 200 feet and collide with the ground. One pilot said there was a 10 knot wind out of the east prior to the accident. Immediately after the accident, he observed 'a column of vertical dust southwest of the airport (appeared like a microburst),' and felt the accident pilot may have encountered a sudden wind shift.
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: 400 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7CO4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 2,800 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:14 am from GXY, 48 miles away
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.