Amateur-built AA-1B accident near Yoder, Colorado, September 12, 1998
On September 12, 1998 at about 3:45 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-1B, registered N6288L, was destroyed in an accident near Yoder, Colorado. 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's loss of aircraft control due to not maintaining adequate airspeed and the subsequent inadvertent stall. Factors were the pilot's inadequate preflight and the engine's power failure due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 1998 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Yoder, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-1B
- Registration
- N6288L · no longer on the register · serial AA1B-0088
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was giving a 15 minute free orientation ride to an Experimental Aircraft Association, Young Eagle, when the airplane experienced a loss of power. During the forced landing to an open field, the airplane inadvertently stalled and impacted the terrain nose low. Postimpact examination of the airplane found no evidence of fuel or the smell of fuel. No preimpact engine or airframe anomalies, which might have affected the airplane's performance, were identified. Toxicology tests on the pilot revealed multiple over-the-counter and prescribed drugs. NTSB's Medical Officer, stated that in addition to possible adverse effects of the medications, distraction or sensory disturbance as a result of the condition for which the drugs were ingested may have also played a role in the accident.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,135 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,973 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 00V Meadow Lake CO at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from COS, 14 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.