Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 3, 1997, approximately 0900 mountain daylight time, a Beech V35, N831U, was destroyed when it collided with terrain during landing approach at Lake George, Colorado. The commercial pilot in command and airline transport pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight was filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Englewood, Colorado, on May 3, 1997, approximately 0800.

The pilot's wife said that her husband had flown to Centennial Airport, where he picked up his son, who is also a pilot, and was returning to their ranch airstrip. She said her husband would normally call her on the radio and she would give him wind information. On this particular morning, he did not call but she heard the airplane approaching. Shortly thereafter, she heard a loud noise. Looking out the window, she saw smoke coming from the airstrip. She drove to the airstrip and found the airplane had crashed and was on fire. She returned to the house and telephoned 9-1-1 to report the accident. According to emergency personnel, the call was received at 0902.

A witness driving towards Lake George about 1/2-mile north of the accident site saw the approaching airplane. He said the pilot was making a "steep" approach and the landing gear was down. He said it was "very windy, really blowing, about 50 knots," and the airplane's wings were "dipping." He said the wind had been so strong the night before, it made "the walls of my cabin rattle." The airplane then descended behind trees. The witness did not observe the impact.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot in the left seat was identified as Grady Lee Persons, the aircraft owner. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Mr. Persons, date of birth January 15, 1935, held Commercial Pilot Certificate No. 001438235, dated September 26, 1995, with airplane single/multiengine and instrument ratings. He also held a second class airman medical certificate, dated March 17, 1997, with the restriction that "Holder must have available glasses for near and intermediate vision."

The pilot's wife said her husband had stopped logging flight time some years ago, and had in excess of 10,000 flight hours. According to the FAA, when the pilot applied for medical certification on March 17, 1997, he estimated he had accumulated 5,000 total flight hours, 100 hours of which were accrued within the previous 6 months.

Six pilot logbooks were made available for inspection. Logbook #1 contained entries from February 21, 1955, to February 13, 1957. A total of 37:50 hours were recorded when the pilot was a University of Georgia student, to wit: Aeronca, 2:55; Piper J-3, 34:55. He soloed on January 8, 1957, but the date of his private pilot certification was not recorded.

Logbook #2 contained entries from January 28, 1958, to December 8, 1967. A total of 818:30 hours were recorded in this book. E