Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 15, 2009, approximately 0700 mountain standard time, a Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Commander Division 690 C, N840NK, owned by A David Miller Trustee, and operated by J-W Operating Company was destroyed when it impacted terrain four miles north, northeast of Wray Municipal Airport (K2V5), Wray, Colorado. A post impact fire ensued. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The airline transport certificated pilot, commercial certificated second pilot, and commercial certificated passenger were fatally injured. The cross-country flight departed Centennial Airport (KAPA), Denver, Colorado, approximately 0630 and was en route to K2V5.

According to J-W Operating Company, the airline transport certificated pilot, an occasional contract pilot for J-W Operating Company, was on board the airplane for positioning purposes; after the flight from KAPA to K2V5 to Addison Airport, Dallas, Texas, (KADS), he intended to ferry another company airplane back to KAPA later that day. The accident airplane was based in KAPA and the flight was scheduled to pick up one additional passenger in Wray before continuing on to KADS.

According to records provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), N840NK was in radio communications with Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZDV) prior to the accident. Approximately 0634 the controller queried N840NK about which heading would take him direct to Wray. N840NK responded that a heading of 065 degrees would take them direct to ETUDE, the initial approach fix for the Global Positioning System (GPS) approach to Runway 17. The controller then cleared N840NK to fly direct to ETUDE. At 0646:06 the controller cleared the flight to "descend at pilot's discretion maintain six thousand." N840NK acknowledged this transmission. At 0646:28 the controller provided the special automated surface observation report for Akron, Colorado (52 miles west of K2V5). This weather included a visibility of four miles, mist, overcast at one hundred feet, and a temperature and dew point of minus twelve. At 0647:02 the controller provided the special weather report for Imperial, Kansas (42 miles northeast of K2V5). This weather included a visibility of three miles, light snow, and overcast at 1,600 feet. N840NK acknowledged the relay of both weather reports.

At 0652:44 the controller cleared N840NK to "cross initial [approach fix] at or above six thousand, cleared [for the] approach to the Wray airport." Radar data, provided by ZDV in National Track Analysis Program (NTAP) format, depicted the accident flight from the time of departure from KAPA. The airplane initially climbed to 11,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At 0647:43 the airplane initiated a descent. The last radar information was recorded at 0649:14, at an altitude of 9,900