Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On July 11, 1997, approximately 1240 mountain daylight time (mdt), a Ryan Navion B, N5401K, registered to BCW, Inc., was destroyed when it struck a power pole and collided with an abandoned mine building during an uncontrolled descent 2 miles west of Garfield, Colorado, near Monarch Pass. The private pilot and three passengers (two of whom were Italian nationals) were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Grand Island, Nebraska, at 0947 central daylight time.

According to family members, the airplane was en route from Manassas, Virginia, to a Navion fly-in at Grand Junction, Colorado, with an eventual destination of Salt Lake City, Utah. The airplane stopped at Grand Island, Nebraska, for fuel. According to a spokesperson at Grand Island Aviation, a fixed base operator, the pilot instructed the lineman to fill the main tanks using the right tank fuel filler, then to fill both tip tanks. The airplane was serviced with 50.7 gallons of 100-LL aviation grade gasoline (fuel invoice attached, see exhibits).

At 0841 central daylight time (cdt), the pilot telephoned the Columbus, Nebraska, Flight Service Station (FSS), obtained a weather briefing, then filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan to Colorado Springs, Colorado (attached to this report, see exhibits). On the flight plan, the pilot indicated the airplane was equipped with a transponder with altitude reporting capability; that it would be cruising at a true airspeed of 135 knots; the proposed departure time was 1500 UTC (1000 CDT), and the initial cruising altitude would be 6,000 feet. The route of flight was given as from Grand Island via V8 to the Hayes Center VORTAC, thence via V148 to Thurman VORTAC, thence via V169 to the Hugo VORTAC, thence via V108 to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The time en route was listed as 2 hours, 55 minutes, and the fuel on board was given as 5 hours.

The airplane departed Grand Island at 0947, and proceeded at 9,000 feet uneventfully until it arrived in the Colorado Springs area. At 1124 mdt, the pilot canceled his IFR flight plan with Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center, and requested VFR flight following service to Grand Junction. At 1135 the flight was handed off to Colorado Springs Approach Control. The pilot advised the controller that he would not be landing at Colorado Springs (as the flight plan had indicated), but would go around Restricted Area R-2601 and proceed through Monarch Pass. Asked if he intended to remain at 9,000 feet, the pilot replied, "While we have the altitude, we'll keep it."

At 1155, the flight was handed off to Pueblo Approach Control. The pilot was given the Pueblo altimeter setting of 29.89 inches of mercury and, when told that the Fort Carson restricted areas were active, he requested and was given radar vectors around R-2601 A & B. At 1203, radar services were terminated when the airplane was 24