Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 26, 2020, about 1259 mountain standard time, a Vans RV4 airplane, N87LW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Telluride, Colorado. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the airport manager for the Telluride Regional Airport (TEX), the pilot told an employee with the fixed base operator (FBO) at the airport that he intended to fly from TEX to Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO), Durango, Colorado, to retrieve a passenger and then return to TEX. According to automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data, at 1125, the airplane departed TEX on runway 27 and flew direct to DRO and landed on runway 3 at 1150.

At 1229, the airplane departed DRO on runway 3 and proceeded north back toward TEX, as shown in figure 1. About 1256:39, the airplane turned onto a left downwind for runway 27 at TEX. A FBO employee at TEX reported that she was monitoring the airport’s UNICOM frequency when the pilot transmitted that he was on the downwind leg for runway 27. The FBO employee told the pilot to park in the hangar after landing and the pilot replied “cool.”

Further review of the recorded ADS-B data indicated that the airplane entered the traffic pattern while descending through 10,000 ft mean sea level (msl) and flew the downwind leg about 1 statute mile (sm) south of the runway 27 centerline, as shown in figure 2 and figure 3. The airplane continued to descend about 250 feet per minute (ft/min) during the downwind leg. The airplane entered the traffic pattern at 100 knots calibrated airspeed (KCAS) and decelerated during the downwind and base legs.


Figure 1 – ADS-B Track Data for Flight


Figure 2 – ADS-B Track Data for Airplane in Traffic Pattern


Figure 3 – Altitude, Speed, and Vertical Speed

About 1258:12, the airplane entered a left turn toward the base leg for runway 27 and continued to descend and decelerate. About 1258:58, the airplane entered a left turn from the base leg toward a 0.5 sm-final-approach-course to runway 27. During the final 4 seconds of recorded ADS-B data, the airplane decelerated to 50 KCAS and the descent rate increased from 600 ft/min to 3,850 ft/min, as shown in figure 4. The airplane’s calculated roll angle was left-wing down and varied between 23° and 88° during the final 4 seconds of data, as shown in figure 5. According to the airplane kit manufacturer, the airplane’s wings-level aerodynamic stall speed at a maximum gross weight of 1,500 lbs was 47 KCAS.

Figure 4 – Altitude, Speed, and Vertical Speed

Figure 5 – Ground Track Angle, Roll Angle, and Flight Path Angle

According to the FBO employee monitoring the airport’s UNICOM frequency, at exact time unknown, there was a brief transmission where the pilot exclaimed “oh [expletive].” The FBO employee noted that the airplane disappeared from the FBO’s flight tracking system a few minutes after t