Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 5, 2000, at 1417 mountain daylight time, a Cessna P206, N2577X, registered to the pilot, was destroyed when it collided with terrain while maneuvering approximately 2 miles northeast of Howard, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his passenger (spouse) were fatally injured. A pet dog was also fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Gunnison, Colorado, approximately 1400.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documents, the pilot telephoned the Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) at 1141 and filed a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan from Gunnison, Colorado, to Oakley, Kansas, and then received a standard weather briefing. According to the flight plan, 135 knots would be the true airspeed, and the initial cruising altitude would be 11,500 feet. The pilot said he would depart Gunnison at 1400, fly direct to Lamar, Colorado, then direct to Oakley. Estimated time en route was 3 hours, and there was 4 hours of fuel on board. At 1402, the pilot contacted the Denver AFSS via radio and told them he had departed Gunnison on the hour, and requested that his flight plan be activated. This was the last known contact with the airplane.

Two witnesses (husband and wife, a student and low flight time private pilot, respectively) reported seeing what they believed was the accident airplane. They were sitting on their deck when they observed an airplane flying straight and level over the ridge line northeast of their home, which is located in the town of Howard. "It looked like a Cessna 172," they said. Suddenly the airplane pitched up and went into a steep left turn (right wing up). The airplane rolled over and went into a descending spiral, "not a spin," consisting of 2 or 3 turns, and disappeared momentarily behind the mountain. It then reappeared. The engine was "laboring" as it climbed. The airplane then went into another tight left turn, rolled over, "I could see the whole bottom of the airplane," and disappeared behind the mountain. It did not reappear. The witnesses drove their ATVs (all terrain vehicles) into Sand Gulch, but did not see anything. The next day, they reported their observations to the Fremont County Sheriff's Department, and were advised that an airplane was indeed missing. The witnesses said there were "black thunderstorms clouds" to the north. Although the airplane was in close proximity to these cells, it was in an area "free of clouds." They heard no thunder and saw no lightning. Asked what time of day they saw the airplane, the witnesses said approximately 1600.

When the airplane failed to arrive at its destination, family members became concerned and alerted FAA. An information request (INREQ) was issued at 1824, and an alert notice (ALNOT) was issued at 1927. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) initiated an aeria