Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 23, 2020, at 2139 mountain daylight time (MDT), an Aerostar 601, N601X, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Craig, Colorado. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Radar track data indicated that the airplane departed Jersey Shore Airport (P96), Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, about 0719 mountain daylight time (MDT) and arrived Findlay Airport (FDY), Findlay, Ohio, about 851 DT. The airplane departed FDY about 1337 MDT and arrived at Red Oak Municipal Airport (RDK), Red Oak, Iowa, about 1418 (MDT). Track data indicated the airplane likely departed RDK about 1508 MDT, continuing westbound again, climbed to a maximum cruise altitude of about 9,500 ft then descended and landed at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL), Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado, about 1949 MDT.

A fixed base operator (FBO) line service technician at FNL stated that he saw the airplane taxi from the runway. He said the airplane's right engine was not running, and the student pilot was trying to start it. The engine did not restart, and the airplane continued to taxi to the ramp. He asked the student pilot if everything was "okay," and the student pilot said, "yeah cut it a little close on fuel." The line service technician said the airplane was leaning "quite a bit" toward the right, which he attributed to a fuel imbalance. The technician said the engines sounded fine except for the student pilot running out of fuel during the after-landing taxi.

The technician at FNL said he looked in the airplane and did not see it equipped with automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) equipment and did not know how the student pilot was going to fly the airplane over the mountains. He said the airplane was equipped with a panel mounted Garmin 430 and a transponder and the airplane did not have a pressurization system. He said he saw an oxygen tank in the airplane and did not know the amount of oxygen present in the tank.

An FBO customer service representative at FNL stated the student pilot told her he purchased the airplane in New York and was "going to try to get over the mountains." The student pilot said he flew on a commercial flight from California on the same day he purchased the airplane. He said he had to go over the mountains and through Utah and was destined to California. The representative said the student pilot was "really tired" and did not have cash to buy Red Bull, so she made him coffee. The student pilot told her that he left New York later than he wanted to because he was talking with the former airplane owner. He told the technician the airplane was his fifth airplane that he owned.

Radar track data indicated the airplane departed FNL about 2037 MDT, turned westbound, and climbed through about 12,000 ft. The airplane made a left, almost 360° turn, and continued to climb throughout the turn before it flew west/southw