Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 6, 2004, approximately 1010 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20D, N1907Y, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during takeoff at Stevens Field, Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident, and was en route to Durango, Colorado (DRO).

The following is based on witness interviews and written statements: The pilot and his wife had visited the Pagosa Springs area in July 2004. When he got ready to return home in Lake Havasu, Arizona, the pilot made several takeoff attempts, but aborted each one. Airport personnel said that when he came into the office, he appeared thoroughly shaken by the experience. He told employees he would not take off from the airport until runway construction had been completed and entire length of the runway was made available. He then told a mechanic that there was a shimmy in the nose wheel steering.

While the mechanic inspected the airplane, the pilot approached a local flight instructor and asked him for his advice on how to take off from the airport. After questioning by the instructor, the pilot said he didn't know how to make a short-field takeoff, and that he had forgotten how to compute density altitude. When asked to produce the aircraft's operating limitations and weight and balance documents, the pilot couldn't find them. The mechanic returned and told the pilot that the steering linkage was missing, the nose gear assembly was "severely worn," and repairs would have to be made. The pilot left the airplane at Pagosa Springs and contracted with the flight instructor to deliver it to Lake Havasu after the repairs had been made.

The first attempt to deliver the airplane was on August 11, 2004. During the preflight inspection, the instructor discovered the right fuel tank was leaking and the VOR (Very high frequency Omnidirectional Radio range) receivers did not work. The tank was stripped and resealed. When told of the delay, the pilot told the instructor that he was aware of the malfunctioning VOR receivers, but suggested that the instructor use a hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver for navigation.

The next day, August 12, the instructor and mechanic conducted high-speed taxi tests in the airplane. The instructor said he was surprised when he entered the cockpit: The magnetic compass was dangling by a few wires underneath the instrument panel instead of being mounted on the windshield center post, the airspeed indicator was twisted about 60 degrees in the instrument panel, and there were numerous 9-volt and AA batteries on the rear floor and in the door pockets. Taxi tests were satisfactory and indicated the nose wheel steering had been repaired. According to Wind Dancer Aviation Servi