Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 31, 2014, at 0022 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 150K airplane, N6275G, impacted terrain 2 miles west of the Front Range Airport (FTG), near Watkins, Colorado. The instrument rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a flight plan. The local flight originated from FTG at 0018.

The airplane was reported missing about 0330. Front Range Airport personnel located the wreckage about 0730 in a wheat field about 2 miles west-northwest of the airport. There were no witnesses to the accident. The pilot was not in contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC), but the flight path was captured on radar. The airplane impacted the field with the left wing first, bounced one time and came to rest upright. An onboard image recorder (GoPro) was found in the wreckage and its data card was reviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vehicle Recorders Laboratory. The video revealed that the camera recorded the events prior to the accident; however, the accident sequence was not recorded.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 29, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single engine land, multi-engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot also held a ground instructor certificate. The pilot was issued an unrestricted first class medical certificate on August 29, 2013.

A review of the pilot's logbooks revealed that he had accumulated about 726 total flight hours, 38 hours in the last 30 days and 4.5 hours in the 24 hours preceding the accident flight. He had 27.1 hours in night conditions and 0.5 hours in simulated IMC in the last 60 days. He accumulated a total of 99 hours in simulated IMC and 14.7 hours in actual IMC. The logbooks did not reveal whether or not he had completed the flight currency requirements to operate in IMC or to carry passengers at night (see ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - 14 CFR Part 61.57 (c) Instrument experience; 14 CFR Part 61.57 (b) Night takeoff and landing experience).

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The Cessna 150K, serial number 15071775, was a single engine, two seat, high wing, fixed gear, utility category airplane, which was manufactured in 1970. The airplane was powered by a 100-horsepower Continental Motors, Inc. O-200-A engine, which drove a two bladed metal McCauley propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on March 4, 2014 at a total aircraft time of 7,030.6 hours and was determined to be in airworthy condition.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

On May 30, 2014, at 2359, a special surface weather observation from the Denver International Airport (DEN), which was located 5 miles northwest of the accident site, reported: wind calm, 2 ½ miles visibility, mist, ceiling o