Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 26, 2001, at 0719 mountain standard time, a Socata TBM 700, N300WC, owned and operated by Technical Leasing, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, was destroyed when it impacted terrain following a loss of control on takeoff at Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado. The instrument rated private pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan had been filed for the business flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 91. The flight originated from Centennial Airport at 0718.

The pilot landed at Centennial Airport on the afternoon before the accident (data downloaded from the Garmin GPSMAP 295 that was on board the airplane indicates the arrival was some time after 1341). He instructed Jet Center officials to refuel the airplane to capacity. This was done at 1430 and required 136 gallons of Jet-A fuel. The pilot was met by friends, who took him to dinner and a movie that evening. They said the pilot retired approximately 2300.

According to these friends, the pilot did not eat breakfast the next morning. He telephoned the FBO about 0515 and asked that the airplane be brought inside a hanger and preheated (it had been parked outdoors on the ramp overnight). This was done and the airplane was in the heated hangar approximately 45 to 60 minutes. According to FAA documents, the pilot telephoned the Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) at 0608 and obtained a standard weather briefing. He then filed an IFR flight plan to Santa Monica Airport in California. The pilot's host said he dropped the pilot off at the airport approximately 0615. He said it was snowing at the time, and visibility was poor. Jet Center linemen said the pilot did not perform a preflight inspection, but boarded the airplane, started the engine, and did a 20 minute engine run at "high rpm" on the ramp.

At 0647, the pilot received his IFR clearance, and at 0708 he was cleared to taxi. Because the wind was calm, the pilot was given his choice of runways. "Which one would you recommend," the pilot asked. "One seven will take me down to Blue Mesa, won't it?" When he was told it would, the pilot taxied to runway 17L and advised the control tower that he had ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) Zulu and would need to do an engine runup. At 0712, he asked if there were any pilot reports, and was told that one pilot reported encountering no ice during climbout and that the cloud tops were at 7,200 feet. At 0717, the pilot was cleared for takeoff, but reduced visibility prevented control tower personnel from observing the airplane.

At 0719:27, the pilot said, "Whiskey Charlie, lookin' for higher." (According to the tower controller's statement, he had been watching the BRITE radar for the airplane's data tag to appear and when the pilot asked for a higher altitude, he observed a primary target, then a limited data t