Amateur-built 320 accident near Dillon, Colorado, July 31, 1997
On July 31, 1997 at about 8:20 pm local time, a amateur-built 320, registered N360GB, was destroyed in an accident near Dillon, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) conditions, and failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: low ceiling, rain, and high/mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1997 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Dillon, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 320
- Registration
- N360GB · registry record · serial 1177P
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a cross-country flight in mountainous terrain, the pilot was navigating by following an interstate highway. At an elevation of about 11,000 feet, the highway entered a tunnel. The pilot turned up a side canyon, and the airplane impacted terrain at about 12,200 feet msl, approximately 1/2 mile from the highway/tunnel. Weather at the time was low clouds approximately 200 feet above the entrance to the tunnel and moderate rain. The pilot did not have an instrument rating, and the airplane was not certified for instrument flight. Mountain tops in the area exceed 13,000 feet. Witnesses observed the airplane enter the clouds as it turned up the side canyon.
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: 325 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 334 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.