Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 15, 2006, at 1332 mountain daylight time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR20, N787SL, owned by East End Aviation LLC, and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain 50 nautical miles (nm) north northwest of Maybell, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 on an instrument flight rules flight (IFR) plan. The private pilot and private pilot rated passenger were fatally injured. The cross-country flight departed Bolinder Field - Tooele Valley Airport (TVY), Tooele, Utah, approximately 1150 and was en route to Lincoln, Nebraska (LNK).

The pilot and his passenger were returning from a business meeting in California and had departed Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK) approximately 0640 Pacific daylight time. A flight log found within the wreckage indicated that they landed at TVY. According to a receipt from Tooele Valley Airport, the passenger paid for 36.26 gallons of fuel at 1120.

At 1221:13, the pilot contacted Cedar City radio with a request to file an IFR flight plan from his present position (10 miles east of FFU VOR) to LNK. The flight plan was filed for 14,000 feet. Afterwards, the briefer mentioned Airman's Meteorological Information (AIRMETS) along the route of flight for mountain obscuration, turbulence, and icing, and advised them to contact Flight Watch if they needed further weather information.

At 1320:20, the pilot reported to Denver (DEN) Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) that they were at 13,800 feet and "need a (unintelligible) altitude… [they] picked a little bit of ice." The controller issued an altimeter setting of 29.65. At 1323:29, the controller asked about the flight's assigned altitude. The pilot responded 14,000 feet and stated that he was unable to maintain that altitude. Several altitude assignments were issued by the controller and ultimately a block altitude from 12,000 feet to 13,000 feet was assigned.

At 1330:51, the pilot reported to ARTCC that they were having "serious" icing issues and were unable to maintain 12,000 feet. The controller asked the pilot if he had terrain in sight and the pilot responded in the affirmative. The controller cleared the pilot to descend to 11,000 feet and maintain his own terrain separation. At 1331:57, the controller asked the pilot what type of icing he was encountering. No further transmissions were received from the pilot.

National Track Analysis Program (NTAP) radar data depicted the airplane on a northeasterly heading at an encoded altitude of 12,500 feet mean sea level (msl). At 1329:40, the airplane reversed course to a northerly direction and continued to descend. Radar contact was lost at 1332:13. No encoded altitude was available for this time stamp.

An Alert Notification (ALNOT) was issued at 1349 and search and rescue operations were initiated. The w