Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On October 14, 2000, at approximately 0830 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 310N, N111KC, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that originated 45 minutes before the accident from Aspen, Colorado. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.

According to the pilot, he encountered wind shear on short final and made a "very hard" landing. A National Climatic Data Center representative said that the winds in Montrose, Colorado, on October 14, 2000, at 0800 were from 150 degrees at 7 knots, and at 0900, calm. The pilot stated that "a higher speed into round-off/flare" could have prevented the accident.

Following this event, the pilot flew the airplane for approximately 8 more hours (until approximately December 1) when a mechanic discovered structural damage to the right wing. the pilot's inadequate airspeed on final approach which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was wind shear.