At 07:45 MDT, a Cessna 182J crashed 5.5 miles east of the La Veta-Cuchara Valley Airport, killing the pilot and her passenger. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site and a VFR flight plan was filed to Amarillo, Texas. A witness said the ceiling at the airport was about 500 foot overcast at the time the flight departed. The pilot did not possess an instrument rating and her logbook reported she had no actual instrument flight experience.