Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 11, 2021, about 0857 mountain daylight time, a Beech 58TC airplane, N6748V, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Mesa, Colorado. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Fixed-base operator employees at Blake Field Airport (AJZ), Delta, Colorado, stated that, before the airplane departed, the pilot fueled the airplane with 100 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation gasoline. The airplane taxied away from the fuel pump about 0839 and proceeded to runway 3. The airplane departed about 0843 and proceeded northeast toward its destination, Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS), Rock Springs, Wyoming. The employees also stated that this flight was the first one after the airplane’s latest annual inspection, which had been completed on October 1, 2021.
Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data revealed that the airplane proceeded northeast for about 4 nautical miles and then turned left to a north-northwest direction and climbed over Grand Mesa. Recorded air traffic control communications revealed that, about 0852, the pilot reported climbing through 11,000 ft mean sea level (msl) for 14,000 ft msl. After crossing over Grand Mesa, the airplane reached an altitude of about 14,000 ft msl. At 0855:51, the airplane turned right, descended about 1,000 ft, and then climbed to 15,000 ft msl. At 0856:26, the airplane descended rapidly toward terrain. At 0857:00, the controller asked the pilot, “did you get an updraft, mountain wave out there? I’m showing you 800 ft high.” The pilot did not respond to this transmission. Figure 1 shows the flight track and the accident location.

Figure 1. Flight track and accident location. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot’s four most recent training flights conducted with a flight instructor were completed in a single-engine Cessna 172 airplane. The pilot’s recent training experience with emergency procedures in the accident airplane make and model could not be determined. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONAt the time of the airplane’s most recent annual inspection, the airplane had accumulated 3,429 hours of total time. Maintenance documentation from the most recent annual inspection listed a discrepancy of oil around the right engine propeller governor. The corrective action, according to the maintenance documentation, was to remove the “left” engine propeller governor and install a new gasket. The mechanic who completed the maintenance work stated that the reference to the left engine in the paperwork was a mistake and that he installed a new gasket on the right engine propeller governor. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONA review of meteorological information revealed the potential for lighttomoderate turbulence and mountain wave activity near the accident site. The National Weather Service had no active AIRMET, SIGMET, convective SIGMET, or center weather advisory for the route of flight. AIRPORT INFORMATIONAt t