Beech H35 accident near La Veta, Colorado, July 26, 1998
On July 26, 1998 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Beech H35, registered N35DE, was destroyed in an accident near La Veta, 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 poor judgment by intentionally flying into instrument meteorological conditions without proper certification. Factors were his failure to obtain a weather briefing, and the existing weather conditions that included clouds, rain, and obscuration.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1998 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- La Veta, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech H35 · all H35s on the register
- Registration
- N35DE · registry record · serial D-4893
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non instrument rated private pilot and his passenger were en route from Buckeye, Arizona, to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to attend the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual fly-in. The airplane landed at Alamosa, Colorado, and was refueled. According to the lineman who serviced the airplane, the passenger was apprehensive and expressed concern about the weather conditions. Other pilots attempted to fly through La Veta Pass and were forced to turn back because the pass was obscured. The lineman said that when N35DE departed, the weather was 'pretty nasty.' It had been raining 'off and on,' the sky was overcast, and the mountains to the east were obscured. The airplane was found four days later on the south face of Mount Maestas (elevation 11,569 feet mean sea level (MSL) , about the 9,000 foot level, just below La Veta Pass (summit, 9,413 feet MSL). Examination of the wreckage did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunction.
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: 1,180 hours in all; 463 in this make and model; 38 in the last 30 days; 1,114 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1998; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALS Alamosa CO at 4:42 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from ALS, 44 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.