Beech V35 accident near Lake George, Colorado, May 3, 1997
On May 3, 1997 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Beech V35, registered N831U, was destroyed in an accident near Lake George, Colorado (Persons airport). 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-in-command's failure to maintain control of the airplane. A factor was the terrain-induced turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 1997 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake George, Colorado · Persons · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35 · all V35s on the register
- Registration
- N831U · no longer on the register · serial D-8261
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During final approach, the airplane collided with the 30-degree upslope side of an embankment about 15 feet below the runway threshold and 10 feet right of runway centerline. The airplane then traveled up and onto the runway and skidded 64 feet before coming to a halt on the right edge of the runway. Fire and rescue personnel said that when they arrived on the scene, the wind was gusting approximately 20 knots. A witness who saw the airplane on its landing approach said the pilot was making a 'steep' approach. He said it was 'very windy, really blowing, about 50 knots.' According to the pilot's wife, her husband had been flying out of the ranch airstrip about four years, often commuting every day to his business, and was thoroughly aware of the variable wind conditions in the area. She said he always made steep approaches at higher than normal airspeeds to compensate for the sudden changes in wind direction and velocity.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 413 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 2:40 pm
- Destination: CO96
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,600 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from COS, 32 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.