Piper PA-28-235C N9378W

Summary

On 27 July 1983 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-235C registered N9378W was involved in an accident near Pitkin, Colorado, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

27 July 1983 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Pitkin, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.5996, -106.5092

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235C

Registration

N9378W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montrose → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN83FA180

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT WAS ON A X-COUNTRY FLT FROM CAMARILLO, CA TO OSHKOSH, WI. THE PLT LANDED AT ABOUT NOON AT MONTROSE, CO, WHERE THE ACFT WAS REFUELED & THE OCCUPANTS WENT TO A RESTAURANT TO EAT. AFTER DEPARTING MONTROSE, THE ACFT WAS SEEN FLYING LOW OVER RISING, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, HEADING TOWARD WILLIAMS PASS. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED ON THE SOUTH SLOPE OF A VALLEY NEAR WILLIAMS PASS, APRX 92 MI ENE OF MONTROSE. THE WITNESSES DID NOT SEE OR HEAR THE ACFT CRASH. AT THE TIME, THEY THOUGHT THE PLT MAY HAVE TURNED OR SOMEHOW CONTINUED OVER THE PASS. LATER, THE ACFT WAS FOUND AFTER A WITNESS LEARNED THERE WAS A MISSING PLANE & NOTIFIED AUTHORITIES. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 14,400 FT. THE PLT'S LAST BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW WAS ON 7/24/81.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.