Beech F33A accident near Creede, Colorado, August 3, 1997
On August 3, 1997 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Beech F33A, registered N179DD, was destroyed in an accident near Creede, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional low altitude flight over mountainous terrain, inadequate altitude to clear surrounding obstacles, and his misjudging vertical clearance. A factor was the pilot's use of an inappropriate chart for navigation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1997 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Creede, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N179DD · no longer on the register · serial CE-743
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he was using a WAC (1:1,000,000) chart instead of a sectional (1:500,000) chart for navigation, and thought he was at a safe altitude for the surrounding terrain. As he approached a saddle on a mountain ridge near the Continental Divide (which he thought was 11,500 feet MSL), he realized he was well below the summit. Surrounding terrain prevented him from turning around, so he applied full power in an attempt to climb above the summit. The airplane struck a rock ledge, skidded, and came to rest inverted against an embankment at the 12,200 foot level.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,089 hours in all; 117 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 1,913 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,916 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1996; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA12B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 10:30 pm
- Destination: AXX Angel Fire NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:13 pm from GUC, 33 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.
Other NTSB records under N179DD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.