Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 10, 2001, at approximately 0855 mountain standard time, a Cessna T210L, N222ED, was destroyed following impact with terrain while maneuvering near Howard, Colorado. The non-instrument rated private pilot, the sole occupant the airplane, was fatally injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight that originated from Hollis, Oklahoma, approximately 3 hours 45 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan; however, family members said the pilot was en route to Salida, Colorado.

The pilot and his wife departed Salida, Colorado, on March 9, 2001, and flew to Hollis, Oklahoma, to visit family members. The pilot's wife said that their flight to Hollis, at 11,500 feet, took 2.5 hours (direct distance is 374 nautical miles [nm]). She said that the pilot departed Hollis, on the morning of the accident, at 0510 MST (beginning civil twilight, 0532; sunrise, 0557) to return to Salida. The pilot's wife said that his route of flight was Hollis, Oklahoma, to Amarillo, Texas, to Dalhart, Texas, to Walsenburg, Colorado, to Pueblo, Colorado, and on to his final destination, Salida, Colorado.

No documentation could be located which indicated that the pilot received a weather briefing before takeoff, or any in-flight weather advisories. His actual route of flight could not be confirmed.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) radar data was scanned from between 0630 and 0900 for targets in the Pueblo area and specifically for targets flying up the Arkansas River Valley. A radar target, with a 1200 beacon code, was identified flying up the Arkansas River Valley towards Howard, Colorado, at 6,400 feet (terrain elevation 5,200 feet) at 0828:51. This radar target was first identified at 0757:30 flying north towards Pueblo at 5,700 feet. During the approximate 30 minutes of available radar data, the airplane's average ground speed was calculated to be 124 knots, and its average flight altitude was approximately 6,200 feet.

An airport employee, at Harriet Alexander Field, Salida, Colorado, reported that he heard two "very garbled" radio transmissions between approximately 0825 and 0840. He said that he could not hear the airplane's call sign, but he believes that the pilot was asking for the weather conditions at the field.

The family reported the pilot overdue at 0900, and U.S. Air Force search and rescue personnel began receiving an Emergency Location Transmission (ELT) from their satellites at approximately 1050 (satellites are spaced approximately 90 minutes apart, and two passes may be required to confirm an ELT signal). Local search and rescue team members located the airplane on March 11, 2001.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot's flight logbook, including his flight time to Oklahoma and back, indicated that the pilot had accumulated