Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

September 4, 2002, at 0656 mountain daylight time, a Cessna A185F, N24GS, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near Howard, Colorado. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and his passenger was seriously injured. The State of Colorado's Division of Wildlife (DOW), was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial fish stocking flight which originated approximately 20 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.

DOW employees said that the pilot was scheduled to do an aerial fish drop in Hunt Lake (elevation 11,300 feet). He departed Salida, Colorado (elevation 7,489 feet), with a fish hatchery employee as an operations observer. Flight data retrieved from an onboard GPS unit indicates that the airplane flew directly towards the lake and circled two times over Howard, Colorado, while gaining altitude. At 0652:30, the airplane was at 11,429 feet, and on a 250 degree true heading. At 0655:16, the airplane was on a 245 degree true heading and descending at approximately 360 feet per minute. The airplane impacted a ridge, approximately 90 degrees to its left, 5 to 10 seconds later. The last GPS location was approximately 350 feet from the impact site, and approximately 100 feet above it.

The injured passenger said that he remembered the flight towards Hunt Lake, but his last recollection was "Jim [the pilot] was pulling back real hard on the steering wheel." He said that when he regained consciousness he smelled fuel vapors, and he exited the airplane.

An emergency locator transmitter signal was received at approximately 0750 by other DOW pilots. The airplane was located approximately 1 hour later.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

The pilot took his last second class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight medical examination on May 1, 2002, and at that time he reported on his application that he had 7,400 hours of flight experience, with 200 hours during the last 6 months. He renewed his flight instructor's certificate on August 21, 2001. The pilot had been flying for the State of Colorado DOW for approximately 20 years.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was a single engine, propeller-driven, fixed gear, two seat airplane, which was manufactured by Cessna Aircraft Company in 1976. It was powered by a Continental IO-520-D, six cylinder, reciprocating, horizontally opposed, direct drive, air cooled, normally aspirated (carbureted) engine with a maximum takeoff rating of 300 horsepower at sea level. At a density altitude of 12,350 feet, an engine manufactures representative said it would have been capable of producing approximately 165 horsepower. Aircraft maintenance records indicate that the last annual inspection was accomplished on April 5, 2002. The airplane's tachometer and maintenance records indicated that it had accumulated approximately 9,017 hours of flight time, and the engine had approximately