Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On January 7, 2017, about 0951:32 mountain standard time, a Cirrus SR22, N5VK, made a forced landing on a snow-covered plateau near Meeker, Colorado, after the engine lost power. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 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 had been filed. The local flight originated from Provo (PVU), Utah, at 0821:35 and was en route to Meadow Lake Airport (FLY), Colorado Springs, Colorado.

According to the pilot's accident report, the airplane was fueled to capacity at PVU and both pre-flight and pre-takeoff checks were normal and completed. Shortly after reaching cruise altitude, the pilot noticed the cylinder head (CHT) and exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) on the multifunction display (MFD) were erratic and changed rapidly. The pilot reported he had had previous trouble with the sensory input unit (SIU), so he reverted to monitoring the analog gauges, which were registering normal temperatures. Shortly thereafter, the engine backfired and the pilot sensed he had lost some power. Because of the high terrain ahead, the pilot started a climb. Passing through 12,600 feet, the engine lost more power. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot began a shallow descent. Realizing he would be unable to reach any nearby airports, he began looking for a suitable area on which to make a forced landing. Because of the rough terrain, he elected not to deploy the Cirrus airframe parachute system (CAPS). He saw a plateau ahead and landed gear-up in deep snow. The pilot ascertained the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) had activated and he tried communicating on the emergency frequency 121.5 megahertz (MHz). He received no reply. About 90 minutes later, an airplane circled overhead and rocked its wings. Another airplane arrived and circled for about an hour before departing. Shortly thereafter, two rescue helicopters landed and transported the pilot and his wife to a hospital. The pilot said they sustained no injuries because they were both wearing 4-point restraint systems.

The airplane was removed from the plateau and transported to the facilities of Air Transport, Phoenix, Arizona, about two months after the accident. The wings were removed to facilitate transport. It was noted the wing tanks were breached during the accident and had been transported and stored upside down with the fuel fitting exposed. On March 7, 2017. The wreckage was examined and the engine functionally tested under the auspices of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. Representatives from Cirrus Design and Continental Motors were also present. The FAA inspector noted that there was no shearing of the fuel pump spline, each cylinder had compression, and all spark plugs provided spark. The airframe fuel gascolator containe