Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On June 18, 2013, about 1130 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180, N7444J, sustained substantial damage when it impacted runway lights during a forced landing after takeoff from runway 21 (9,201 feet by 150 feet, asphalt) at the Durango – La Plata County Airport (DRO), Durango, Colorado. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was departing DRO and the destination was Tyler, Texas.

The pilot reported that he obtained a weather brief and conducted a walk-around inspection of the airplane before engine start. After engine start, the pilot leaned the air-fuel mixture to compensate for the high density altitude and to get the engine running smoothly. He taxied to the run-up area and he completed the preflight checklist. The magnetos checks were normal. He briefly put in full power and adjusted the mixture to obtain the best rpm setting, and then brought the throttle back to idle.

The pilot advanced the throttle to full power during the takeoff from runway 21. The airplane accelerated to 80 mph, lifted off the runway, and climbed to about 100 feet above ground level. The pilot reported that the airplane seemed "sluggish," which he attributed to the high density altitude. The airplane approached the end of the runway and it stopped climbing despite having the power at full throttle and no change to the air-fuel mixture or the propeller pitch. He reported that the oil pressure and fuel pressure were both in the green, but the airspeed and altitude were inadequate to attempt a return to a paved runway. Although there was no evidence that the engine was "missing," the airplane rapidly descended, and the pilot made a controlled landing about 400 yards off the departure end of the runway. Upon touchdown, the pilot pulled the throttle fully aft and applied the brakes. The airplane's wings struck several approach lights which resulted in substantial damage to the wings.

The 74-year-old pilot, who was a co-owner of the airplane, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. He had 617 total flight hours with 325 hours in make and model. He held a third class medical certificate.

The airplane was a single-engine Piper PA-28R-180 equipped with a 180 horsepower Lycoming IO-360-B1E engine. The maximum gross weight of the airplane was 2,500 pounds, which at the time of the accident weighed 2,269 pounds. The last annual maintenance inspection of the airplane was conducted on June 1, 2013, with an airframe time of 3,497 hours. The engine had 151 hours since the last overhaul.

The 1100 surface weather observation at DRO was: wind 090 degrees at 12 knots; sky clear; visibility 10 miles; temperature 24 degrees Celsius (C); dew point 13 degrees C, altimeter 30.18 inches o