Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 22, 2022, about 1149 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N85CT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) information, the airplane departed Erie Municipal Airport (EIK) on Runway 16. About 3,000 ft from the departure end of the runway, the airplane made a left turn, descended, and impacted terrain.

Figure 1. Accident Flight Track with Recorded Altitude and Indicated Airspeed
Two experienced pilots who lived along the airplane’s flight path reported hearing abnormal engine noises. The first pilot, who was located about 800 ft from the departure end of Runway 16, observed the airplane fly past about 50 to 100 ft above ground level (agl). About 5 seconds later, he heard several popping noises.
The second pilot was located about 1,000 ft to the west of the accident site and reported hearing a “loud carburetor cough” followed a few seconds later by a “quieter carburetor cough.” Within 10 seconds, he heard the airplane impact the ground. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONA review of maintenance logs revealed an avionics upgrade was completed on February 4, 2022, that included installation of a Garmin G5 and Dynon primary flight/multi-function displays. The pilot-rated passenger assisted with the avionics installation.
The airplane flew about 22 hours between the time the avionics were upgraded and the time of the accident. The purpose of the accident flight included troubleshooting an avionics issue. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe meteorological conditions were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power. AIRPORT INFORMATIONA review of maintenance logs revealed an avionics upgrade was completed on February 4, 2022, that included installation of a Garmin G5 and Dynon primary flight/multi-function displays. The pilot-rated passenger assisted with the avionics installation.
The airplane flew about 22 hours between the time the avionics were upgraded and the time of the accident. The purpose of the accident flight included troubleshooting an avionics issue. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane impacted a grassy area in a residential community. About 35 ft beyond the point of initial impact, six propeller strike marks spaced about 1 ft apart were located on a paved road. The airplane bounced and subsequently impacted a large tree about 100 ft from the propeller strike marks, which resulted in the engine and cockpit area separating from the remainder of the fuselage.

Figure 2. Airplane at Accident Site
All components of the airplane were observed at the accident site. Fuel was recovered from the left main, right main, and right wingtip fuel tanks, with no indications of contamination. The fuel bowl contained fuel that was free from debris or water.
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