Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On October 22, 2005, at 1927 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Lancair LC-40-550FG, N101HK, operated by Kittyhawk Partners LLC., and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain 10 miles east of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The cross-country flight departed Burlington (BRL), Iowa, 1421 MDT (1521 central daylight time), and was en route to Bob Adams Field, Steamboat Springs (SBS), Colorado.

According to the pilot's family, he had departed an airport on the east coast the morning of the accident, and had stopped in BRL due to weather. The pilot called the Kankakee Automated Flight Service Station at 1446 MDT, obtained a weather briefing, and filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The pilot departed BRL, and climbed to an initial altitude of 12,000 feet mean seal level (msl).

While en route, the pilot contacted Flight Watch on two separate occasions to obtain an update on the forecasted winds aloft, en route weather, and weather at his destination. At 1832 MDT, the pilot contacted the Denver Center controller, requested, and was cleared to an altitude of 16,000 feet msl. At 1912 MDT, the pilot cancelled his IFR flight plan and stated he was going to descend to 14,000 msl with visual flight rules (VFR) radar flight following services from Denver Center. At 1920 MDT the pilot cancelled his VFR radar flight following. The flight duration, from departure until impact, was 5 hours and 6 minutes.

The National Track Analysis Program (NTAP) radar data illustrated that the pilot initiated a descent from 14,000 feet msl at 1919:55 MDT. The rate of descent varied between 500 feet and 1,000 feet per minute. The NTAP recorded the last radar information at 1927:20 MDT, at a location of 40 degrees, 21 minutes, 24 seconds north latitude, 106 degrees, 41 minutes, 49 seconds west longitude, at an encoded altitude of 10,500 feet msl. This location was 580 feet from where the main wreckage was located.

According to a group of hunters in the area, the airplane flew over their camp approximately 300 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane was extremely low and the lights of the airplane illuminated the ground. One hunter reported the engine was sputtering, and backfiring, and another hunter reported the "engine was exceptionally loud, and [he] could hear it sputtering and just not sounding right." Another hunter in the same party stated he did not "notice any abnormal engine noises or strange flying behavior." Shortly after the airplane flew over the camp, the hunters heard three loud pops, and one hunter reported that the engine noise ceased.

The airplane was located by the Routt County Search and Rescue Team approximately 1130 on October 23, 2005. The airplane was loc