Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 31, 2012, about 0920 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-12, N3031M, co-owned by the pilot, was substantially damaged after impacting mountainous terrain near Rye, Colorado. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight departed Pueblo Memorial Airport (PUB), Pueblo, Colorado at about 0806.

According to law enforcement witnesses, the pilot and passenger arrived overhead their planned surveillance location and established radio contact with law enforcement personnel stationed on the ground. These law enforcement personnel, as well as other witnesses, observed multiple passes of the airplane about 500 to 1,000 feet above ground level, followed by a maneuvering of the airplane towards the west and out of their sight. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain about two miles west of the surveillance area in a heavily wooded area at 10,171 feet. A postimpact fire ensued.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 64, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. On March 12, 2012, the pilot was issued a Class 3 medical certificate, valid until March 31, 2013. The certificate required corrective lenses be worn.

At the time of the medical examination, the pilot reported having 900 hours of flight experience, with 50 hours in the last six months. A review of records indicates the pilot had flown about 140 hours in the accident airplane. The girlfriend of the pilot stated that the pilot was very familiar with mountain flying and flew frequently in the mountainous areas of Colorado, including near the Lake Isabel area where the accident occurred.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane, a 1947 Piper PA-12, was registered to Three Bushwhackers Incorporated LLC. An airworthiness certificate was issued for the airplane on February 23, 1956. The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming O-290-D2 135 horsepower engine, which had accumulated about 690 hours since last field overhaul.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

A Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service station (WLCC2) was located about 3 miles to the northeast of the accident site at an elevation of 9,053 feet. Observations from WLCC2 at 0856 identified a temperature of 64.0 degrees Fahrenheit (F), a dew point temperature of 26.5F, and a wind from the east-southeast at 3 knots with gusts to 5 knots. At 0956, WLCC2 identified a temperature of 67.0F, a dew point temperature of 25.8F, and a wind from the east-southeast at 5 knots with gusts to 10 knots.

A station that was part of the Citizen’s Weather Observing Program (D0665) was located about 15 miles to the west-northwest of the accident site at an elevation of 8,514 feet. At 0918, D0665 reported an altimeter setting of 29.86 inches of mercury.

Utilizing the altimeter setting from D0665, and a temperat