Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On November 10, 1999, approximately 1440 mountain standard time, a Bellanca Viking 17-30, N6691V, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Lake City, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his passenger (the pilot's wife) were fatally injured. The aircraft was owned by the pilot's wife, and was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the high mountain ridge tops, and cloud tops were above 19,000 feet. The cross-country personal flight originated from Colorado Springs, Colorado, at approximately 1230. No flight plan had been filed, but witnesses reported that the intended destination was Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to family members, the pilot and his wife departed Lagrangeville, New York, on November 9, 1999, with a destination of Las Vegas, Nevada. They spent the night in Kansas, and flew their first leg on November 10, 1999, into Colorado Springs, Colorado. The pilot requested ramp personnel to "top the airplane off." The airplane received 53 gallons of 100LL fuel.

Radar data indicates that the airplane departed Colorado Springs at 1225 and flew south towards Pueblo, Colorado. The last confirmed radar contact, at 1309, was south of Cannon City, Colorado, over the north end of the Wet Mountains (County Road 143, or Oak Creek Grade Road) at 10,500 feet mean sea level (msl). Additional unconfirmed radar returns were recorded, at 1411, near Creede, Colorado, at 13,500 feet msl. The last unconfirmed radar return was at 1419 (N37 degrees, 54.10'; W107 degrees, 2.00'), at an altitude of 14,800 feet msl. This last radar return was 30 nautical miles (nm) from the crash site. No Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was received from the downed airplane.

The family reported the couple missing on November 20, 1999, and authorities began to search for the airplane. The Civil Air Patrol suspended its unsuccessful search mission on December 3, 1999. On July 20, 2000, hikers found the airplane at 12,718 feet on Crown Mountain, above Lake City, Colorado.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot reported on his FAA medical application, dated April 22, 1999, that he had 4,500 hours of flight experience, and that he had flown 10 hours during the previous 6 months. The pilot's personal flight logbook was never located; no documentation could be located to indicate that the pilot had a current flight review.

The pilot's son said that his father was "not much of an outdoors person," and that he had had little or no training in outdoor survival skills. He also said that his father had recently been diagnosed with diabetes. The son said that the family doctor told him that the pilot's medical condition had been stabilized with medication (insulin). This medication was not approved by the FAA for pilots to take while on flight status.

FAA medical records indicate that the passenger received her private pilot certificate in September 15, 1959. Their records f