Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents
Learn from Colorado's accident history to fly safer in the Rockies
2310 Total Accidents
425 Fatal
816 Fatalities
1982-2026
← Back to all accidents
1 Fatal
LARKSPUR, Colorado
NTSB Narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On July 5, 1998, at 1124 mountain daylight time, a Grumman-American AA-1A, N9453L, was destroyed when it collided with terrain during an uncontrolled descent approximately 3 miles northeast of Larkspur, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Boulder, Colorado, at 1051.
At 1015, the pilot telephoned the Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS). After receiving a standard weather briefing, the pilot filed a VFR flight plan from Boulder, Colorado, to Pueblo, Colorado. The flight plan was activated at 1051. At 1053, the pilot contacted Denver Departure Control and requested VFR flight following services. He was assigned a discrete transponder code, identified on radar, and was given the current altimeter setting. The pilot requested an altitude of 8,500 feet, and he was instructed to maintain VFR. Control of the airplane was then transferred to the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). At 1100, the pilot advised he was level at 8,500 feet. At 1121, the pilot was advised he was leaving Denver TRACON (terminal radar control) airspace and that radar services were being terminated. The pilot reported he was encountering moderate turbulence. At 1123, the pilot reported he was encountering "quite a bit of turbulence," was returning to Boulder, and requested flight following services. He was assigned another discrete transponder code. At 1124, the pilot advised he was in a spin and unable to correct and that he was "turning off [his] transponder." This was the last known radio transmission from the pilot.
An ALNOT was issued at 1219 and cancelled at 1707 when Civil Air Patrol aircraft located the wreckage. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight at a location of 30 degrees, 16 minutes, 7 seconds north latitude, and 104 degrees, 50 minutes, 29 seconds west longitude.
CREW INFORMATION
The pilot, Alfred Purdon, Jr., age 47, was born on June 3, 1951. He held Private Pilot Certificate No. 267023080, dated September 1, 1995, with an airplane single engine land rating. He was not instrument rated. He also held a third class airman medical certificate, dated June 24, 1997, with no restrictions or limitations. His most recent biennial flight review was dated March 15, 1997, and was accomplished in a Cessna 152. He was a physician.
Dr. Purdon's pilot logbook was recovered from the wreckage. It contained entries from June 7, 1995, to July 4, 1998. None of the entries indicated a spin had been demonstrated to Dr. Purdon, nor did they indicate he had ever been given spin instruction.
Dr. Purdon began flying the American AA-1A on November 15, 1997, and all his flight time thereafter was almost exclusively in N9453L. He has accumulated 265 hours of flight time, of which 128 hours were in t
On July 5, 1998, at 1124 mountain daylight time, a Grumman-American AA-1A, N9453L, was destroyed when it collided with terrain during an uncontrolled descent approximately 3 miles northeast of Larkspur, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Boulder, Colorado, at 1051.
At 1015, the pilot telephoned the Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS). After receiving a standard weather briefing, the pilot filed a VFR flight plan from Boulder, Colorado, to Pueblo, Colorado. The flight plan was activated at 1051. At 1053, the pilot contacted Denver Departure Control and requested VFR flight following services. He was assigned a discrete transponder code, identified on radar, and was given the current altimeter setting. The pilot requested an altitude of 8,500 feet, and he was instructed to maintain VFR. Control of the airplane was then transferred to the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). At 1100, the pilot advised he was level at 8,500 feet. At 1121, the pilot was advised he was leaving Denver TRACON (terminal radar control) airspace and that radar services were being terminated. The pilot reported he was encountering moderate turbulence. At 1123, the pilot reported he was encountering "quite a bit of turbulence," was returning to Boulder, and requested flight following services. He was assigned another discrete transponder code. At 1124, the pilot advised he was in a spin and unable to correct and that he was "turning off [his] transponder." This was the last known radio transmission from the pilot.
An ALNOT was issued at 1219 and cancelled at 1707 when Civil Air Patrol aircraft located the wreckage. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight at a location of 30 degrees, 16 minutes, 7 seconds north latitude, and 104 degrees, 50 minutes, 29 seconds west longitude.
CREW INFORMATION
The pilot, Alfred Purdon, Jr., age 47, was born on June 3, 1951. He held Private Pilot Certificate No. 267023080, dated September 1, 1995, with an airplane single engine land rating. He was not instrument rated. He also held a third class airman medical certificate, dated June 24, 1997, with no restrictions or limitations. His most recent biennial flight review was dated March 15, 1997, and was accomplished in a Cessna 152. He was a physician.
Dr. Purdon's pilot logbook was recovered from the wreckage. It contained entries from June 7, 1995, to July 4, 1998. None of the entries indicated a spin had been demonstrated to Dr. Purdon, nor did they indicate he had ever been given spin instruction.
Dr. Purdon began flying the American AA-1A on November 15, 1997, and all his flight time thereafter was almost exclusively in N9453L. He has accumulated 265 hours of flight time, of which 128 hours were in t
Case Study & Lessons Learned
Generating educational case study...
Details
| NTSB Report | FTW98FA299 |
| Aircraft | Grumman American AA-1A |
| Registration | N9453L |
| Damage | DEST |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Location | 39.1806, -104.8899 |
