Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

According to a telephone conversation with the pilot, he was attempting to land on runway 29 (10,501 feet by 150 feet, asphalt). The pilot stated that the main landing gear contacted the ground and then the airplane went "hard" to the right, due to the wind. In a written statement submitted by the pilot, he stated that he added power to "stabilize" the airplane; however, he "lost control" and the airplane rolled to the left. Several witnesses stated that the airplane became airborne momentarily and then impacted the terrain to the south side of the runway, in a nose down attitude.

According to FAA inspectors who examined the airplane, the right rear fuselage skin was "dented in" and wrinkled, and the fuselage skin, aft of the firewall was wrinkled. Approximately 3 feet of the outboard wing was bent up approximately 15 degrees. An examination of the airplane's systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies. The Grand Junction Airport automated weather observation station reported winds at the time of the accident as variable at 3 knots. The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing.