Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 29, 2013, about 0750 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182E airplane, N3087Y, impacted terrain near Delta, Colorado. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to Ray Veatsch Agency Inc. and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Day instrument meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Blake Field Airport (KAJZ), Delta, Colorado at 0748 and was destined for Crawford Airport (99V), Crawford, Colorado.

The student pilot scheduled his private pilot practical test with a designated examiner (DE) located at 99V, about 20 nautical miles east of KAJZ. According to the DE, the student pilot called him on the morning of the accident and informed him there was a cloud deck at KAJZ. The DE told the student pilot the cloud deck was likely a thin layer that would burn off and to fly to 99V after the weather cleared up.

An airport surveillance camera captured the accident airplane departing from Runway 3 at KAJZ. No witnesses observed the accident. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe student pilot, age 36, had accumulated a total of 98 flight hours, including 63 hours with a flight instructor and 6.4 hours during the three days preceding the accident. All of the student's recorded flight time was in the accident airplane. The student's recorded simulated instrument flight time was 0.6 hours. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires 3 hours of simulated instrument flight training prior to the private pilot practical test.

On September 21, 2011, the student pilot was issued a Class 3 medical and student pilot certificate, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. No significant issues were identified by the pilot or aviation medical examiner during this examination. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe accident airplane was manufactured in 1962 and registered with the FAA on a standard airworthiness certificate. The logbooks showed a total of 6,347 hours as of the last annual inspection, which was conducted on November 12, 2012.

The airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors O-470-R engine (serial number 131740-5-R), which had accumulated a total of 2,895 hours as of the last annual inspection and 1,853 hours since last major overhaul. The propeller was installed on September 1, 2000, with no maintenance entries in the propeller log since installation. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe weather observation station at KAJZ reported the following conditions at 0755: wind calm, visibility 4 miles, overcast clouds at 600 feet, temperature 0 degrees Celsius (C), dew point negative 1 degrees C, altimeter setting 30.39. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe accident airplane was manufactured in 1962 and registered with the FAA on a standard airworthiness certificate. The logbooks showed a total of 6,347 hours as of the last annual inspection,