Ryan NAVION B accident near Garfield, Colorado, July 11, 1997
On July 11, 1997 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Ryan NAVION B, registered N5401K, was destroyed in an accident near Garfield, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, during a turn to reverse direction, which resulted in a stall and collision with a pole and a building. High density altiitude was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1997 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Garfield, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION B · all NAVION Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5401K · registry record · serial NAV-4-2301-B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane approaching Monarch Pass at low altitude and airspeed. One witness said the wings were 'wobbling.' The airplane banked left, descended, and struck a power pole before colliding with an abandoned mine building. The airplane burned after impact. Family members said the pilot was an experienced mountain pilot, and had made several trips across Monarch Pass, never flying less than 2,000 feet above the highest obstacle. They said two passengers were visiting the United States for the first time; they surmised the pilot was flying at a low altitude to give them a better view of the landscape.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 75 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,230 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1997; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming GO-435-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GRI Grand Island NE at 2:47 pm
- Destination: GJT Grand Junction CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from GUC, 37 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW97FA262.