Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents
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2310 Total Accidents
425 Fatal
816 Fatalities
1982-2026
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1 Fatal
La Junta, Colorado
NTSB Narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 24, 2003, approximately 1005 mountain daylight time, a Hammond Vans RV-6A, N199LH, registered to and operated by the pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain approximately 1/2-mile east of the La Junta Municipal Airport, La Junta, Colorado. The private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at 0922.
According to a lineman who was refueling an airplane, he saw the pilot drive by the airport off ice about 0900. Approximately 0910, the pilot announced on the Unicom frequency that he was taxiing to runway 26. The lineman said the pilot departed to the west at 0922. At 0929, the pilot contacted the Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), reported his position as being 13 nautical miles west of La Junta, and requested the weather in the La Junta area. The pilot was given the current La Junta METAR (routine aviation meteorological report) and an AIRMET (airman meteorology) for turbulence. At 0930, the pilot reported that he was 10 nautical miles north of the airport and filed a PIREP (pilot report). The lineman said he thought he saw the pilot fly over runway 08 in an easterly direction, but he paid no attention. Another witness said he saw the airplane in the traffic pattern doing touch-and-go landings.
When the pilot failed to return home for dinner, his wife drove to the airport and found his parked automobile. The hangar door was open and the airplane was gone. She notified airport personnel. Approximately 2000, the wreckage was sighted at a location of 38 degrees, 02.51' north latitude, and 103 degrees, 29.09' west longitude, or about 0.5 miles east of the airport.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, dated October 26, 1985. His third class airman medical certificate, dated March 27, 2002, contained the limitation "Holder must wear corrective lenses." The pilot passed the instrument rating airplane written examination on February 21, 2002.
The pilot's second logbook, containing entries from October 22, 2001, to June 23, 2003, was recovered from the wreckage. According to the logbook, the pilot had accumulated the following flight time:
Total time, 705.5 hours
Pilot-in-command, 677.8 hours
Rans RV: 229.9 hours
Dual instruction received, 196.9 hours
Actual instruments, 5.3 hours
Simulated instruments, 106. hours
Night, 21 hours
The pilot had logged 9 hours within the previous 30 days, 5 hours which were in N199LH. He had logged no less than 2 hours in the last 24 hours, all of which were in the accident airplane. His biennial flight review, taken in a Piper PA-28-161, was dated October 24, 2001.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
N199LH, a model RV-6A (s/n 23958), was built by the pilot and his wife. The date of manufacture was listed as December 25, 1999. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A
On June 24, 2003, approximately 1005 mountain daylight time, a Hammond Vans RV-6A, N199LH, registered to and operated by the pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain approximately 1/2-mile east of the La Junta Municipal Airport, La Junta, Colorado. The private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at 0922.
According to a lineman who was refueling an airplane, he saw the pilot drive by the airport off ice about 0900. Approximately 0910, the pilot announced on the Unicom frequency that he was taxiing to runway 26. The lineman said the pilot departed to the west at 0922. At 0929, the pilot contacted the Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), reported his position as being 13 nautical miles west of La Junta, and requested the weather in the La Junta area. The pilot was given the current La Junta METAR (routine aviation meteorological report) and an AIRMET (airman meteorology) for turbulence. At 0930, the pilot reported that he was 10 nautical miles north of the airport and filed a PIREP (pilot report). The lineman said he thought he saw the pilot fly over runway 08 in an easterly direction, but he paid no attention. Another witness said he saw the airplane in the traffic pattern doing touch-and-go landings.
When the pilot failed to return home for dinner, his wife drove to the airport and found his parked automobile. The hangar door was open and the airplane was gone. She notified airport personnel. Approximately 2000, the wreckage was sighted at a location of 38 degrees, 02.51' north latitude, and 103 degrees, 29.09' west longitude, or about 0.5 miles east of the airport.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, dated October 26, 1985. His third class airman medical certificate, dated March 27, 2002, contained the limitation "Holder must wear corrective lenses." The pilot passed the instrument rating airplane written examination on February 21, 2002.
The pilot's second logbook, containing entries from October 22, 2001, to June 23, 2003, was recovered from the wreckage. According to the logbook, the pilot had accumulated the following flight time:
Total time, 705.5 hours
Pilot-in-command, 677.8 hours
Rans RV: 229.9 hours
Dual instruction received, 196.9 hours
Actual instruments, 5.3 hours
Simulated instruments, 106. hours
Night, 21 hours
The pilot had logged 9 hours within the previous 30 days, 5 hours which were in N199LH. He had logged no less than 2 hours in the last 24 hours, all of which were in the accident airplane. His biennial flight review, taken in a Piper PA-28-161, was dated October 24, 2001.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
N199LH, a model RV-6A (s/n 23958), was built by the pilot and his wife. The date of manufacture was listed as December 25, 1999. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A
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Details
| NTSB Report | DEN03FA111 |
| Aircraft | Hammond Vans RV-6A |
| Registration | N199LH |
| Damage | DEST |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Location | 38.0494, -103.4858 |
