Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 11, 2001, at 1937 mountain daylight time, a Beech 76, N6002H, registered to EDB Air, Inc., and operated by Wings of Denver, a flying club, of Englewood, Colorado, was destroyed when it collided with power lines and impacted the Blue Mesa Reservoir approximately 17 miles west of Gunnison, Colorado. The two commercial pilots were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 91. The flight originated from Centennial Airport, Englewood, at 1755.

There is no record that either pilot obtained a weather briefing or filed a flight plan. According to the Centennial Airport Control Tower, the airplane was cleared to taxi at 1743, to position and hold at 1754, for take off on runway 17L at 1755, and to depart to the west at 1756. According to the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center, a VFR (visual flight rules) target, squawking 1200, was seen departing Centennial Airport at about that time. It climbed to 9,800 feet and steadied up on a southwesterly course before disappearing from radar about 20 miles away.

There were numerous reports of a low-flying airplane. The first was from a resident in Crested Butte, about 25 miles north of Gunnison, who said a twin engine airplane flew low over town and disappeared flying south. Next, a resident on the north side of Gunnison (N. 11th St.) reported seeing an airplane matching the description of N6002H flying south over the Gunnison River "at a high rate of speed." In his written statement, he said the airplane "was below the crest of the (Palisades) bluffs at an estimated altitude of 200 feet or less." The airplane then made "an abrupt 30 degree plus bank to the right" and proceeded towards the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Another resident, located about 2 blocks away (Floresta St.) saw a low flying airplane. "I could see half of the mountain (Palisades) above the plane," he wrote.

The fixed base operator at Gunnison County Airport was waiting outside for a UPS flight to arrive when he saw a twin engine airplane plane flying southwest about 150 to 200 feet above the ground. The airplane banked right and followed the Gunnison River westward. He went back inside and heard voices on the UNICOM frequency "talking about the shoreline and different fingers of water on Blue Mesa Reservoir. It sounded as if the mike (sic) button was stuck," he wrote. At about this time another witness, who was traveling east on U.S. 50 about 5 miles west of Gunnison, saw a twin engine airplane coming straight towards her "no more than 50 feet above the highway." A U.S. National Park Service ranger, who was at the east end of the reservoir, saw a twin engine airplane drop down to the surface of the water. Asked how low the airplane was, the ranger said the propellers were "kicking up a spray."

Numerous other witnesses reported seeing a twin engine airplane collide with power tran