Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On August 16, 1999, at 0930 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N991RC, was destroyed during a forced landing on Independence Pass, near Aspen, Colorado. The instrument rated private pilot and his two passengers received minor injuries. The airplane was being operated by the owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight which originated from Aspen approximately 45 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.

The pilot said that he departed runway 33 at Aspen, turned right crosswind, and headed towards the Pass. He said that when he got above 11,000 feet above mean sea level(MSL), "the airplane really got mushy." He said that he believed he was not going to make it over the Pass (elevation 12,095 feet), so he landed straight ahead. During the landing on brush covered rising mountainous terrain, the right wing impacted a sign post and the airplane spun around 180 degrees. Both the wings, the engine, and the landing gear separated from the fuselage.

The density altitude at the accident site was computed to be 13,136 feet. The pilot's inadequate in flight planning. Factors were the high density altitude, the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing, and the sign post that the right wing impacted.