Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On December 25, 1999, approximately 1130 mountain standard time, a Luscombe 8E, N1941B, was substantially damaged following impact with terrain in Whiskey Pass in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, near San Luis, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was seriously injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight which originated from Leadville, Colorado, approximately 45 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.

The pilot said that on a "lark" he decided to fly from Amarillo, Texas, to Leadville, Colorado, on Christmas Eve. He said that he had always wanted to fly into Leadville, "the highest airport in North America." The next day, on his return trip, he encountered some bumpy weather conditions. He said that as he approached the 12,560 foot mean sea level (msl) mountain pass with 500 to 600 feet of clearance, a "strong downdraft forced me into the ground within 2 seconds, like a fly swatter." The pilot said that as he descended towards the ground, his flight controls "had no feel in them." Rescue teams reached the pilot approximately 25 hours later.

A pilot (with a glider rating), who reported flying within 5 miles of the accident site, said that the weather conditions over the Sangre de Cristo mountains were "very unusual on the day of the accident." He said that there were lenticular clouds over the mountains all day, and the wind was blowing from east-southeast to west. The Costilla County Sheriff said that he drove up the mountain as far as he could on the night of the accident, and the wind was blowing westward down the mountain 40 to 60 miles per hour (mph). The pilot said that the wind was 40 to 50 mph from the east, while he was on the ground.

The Investigator-In-Charge computed the density altitude to be approximately 12,306 feet. The pilot said on his National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that he recommended that he should have "possibly [flown] higher or not [have] attempt[ed] to fly over the ridge at all." The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision, and the subsequent inadvertent stall/mush. Factors were the pilot's lack of total experience in mountain flying, the high density altitude, and downdraft weather conditions.