By Shannon Lukens for Steamboat Radio/Blizzard Broadcasting. (Picture of the plane wreckage that was flown to the rodeo grounds parking lot on Thursday).
The National Transportation Safety Board has released the Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report for the plane that crashed on the back side of Emerald Mountain on Feb. 13. A copy of that report is below.
Four people from Tennessee died in that crash.
The plane was headed for the Steamboat Springs Airport/Bob Adams Field, originating from Nashville Tennessee, with a stop to refuel in Kansas City. The report says the plane left Kansas City at “2303” which is 10:03 p.m. MST.
The report says the wreckage was located about three miles south of the Bob Adams Field, at an elevation of about 8,200 feet mean sea level (msl). “A ground scar was found about 80 ft south of the main wreckage at an elevation of about 8,175 ft msl. The mountain peak is about 8,250 ft msl.”
The report adds, “The minimum descent altitude for the approach is 9,100 ft msl. The last recorded altitude for the airplane was 8,221 ft msl, and the airplane’s autopilot was engaged.”
It also says the plane was not authorized to fly that approach at night. “The RNAV Z 32 approach plate lists that the approach, both the circling and straight-in to runway 32, is not authorized at night. Additionally, the approach plate lists ‘Visual Segment – Obstacles.’”
The report also says that, according to FAA airman and operator records, “…the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land with an instrument rating.” It added that he had received a first-class medical certificate in October 2025, and on that, he had reported 1,150 total flight hours.
The airplane wreckage from the crash on Emerald Mountain was removed by a helicopter Thursday, March 5. Beegles Recovery and Storage out of Greeley did the removal.
Video of the Helicopter Removal of the wreckage
Steamboat Radio News Coverage
Feb. 15, 2026 — Steamboat Springs Plane Crash Victims Identified
Feb. 13, 2026 — Four die in plane crash on back of Emerald Mountain overnight
