Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 24, 2008, approximately 0828 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Piper 24-250, N5476P, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Yuma, Colorado. The private pilot and his two passengers, were fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan had not been filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed Pueblo Memorial Airport (PUB) Pueblo, Colorado, at approximately 0720 and was destined for Yuma Municipal Airport (2V6) Yuma, Colorado.

The pilot was taking two adult family members from the PUB airport to visit other family members near the 2V6 airport. Witnesses said the pilot had flown out of the 2V6 airport quite often for many years.

Witnesses at the 2V6 airport said they were inside their office when they heard an airplane coming toward them from the west. The witnesses ran outside after the airplane flew over their office "very low and very fast". The witnesses heard the airplane in the fog continue flying away from the airport to the east and they then heard a change in the sound that indicated "the plane was making a hard turn".

Approximately ten seconds after hearing the change in sound, while the witnesses were looking toward the sound of the airplane hidden in the fog they heard a "loud thump" or "thud" and almost immediately saw a ball of fire. One of the witnesses immediately called 9-1-1 and the other witness went to the accident scene and directed first responders to the scene.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 63, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. The pilot certificate was limited to aircraft with hand operated brakes and FAA approved hand operated rudder controls. The pilot was issued a third-class medical certificate on August 27, 2007, with a restriction that he must wear corrective lenses. The pilot’s most recent biennial flight review (BFR) was dated October 3, 2007 and he completed an instrument proficiency check on August 5, 2007. A review of the pilot’s logbook shows he had logged 3,410 hours, of which approximately 1,700 hours were in the accident airplane, and 68 hours were accrued in the preceding 90 days.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records show that the pilot was originally certificated on October 10, 1971 as a private pilot, airplane single-engine land, with no limitations. On March 23, 1983, he passed a special medical flight test and was issued a private pilot certificate, airplane single-engine land, “limited to PA 24-180, serial no. 1196 equipped with rudder hand controls”. At that time the pilot reported that he had logged a total of 198 hours. A review of the FAA records and the pilot’s logbooks show that he had logged 3,212 hours as a pilot in airplanes with hand operated rudder controls.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

N5476P (s.n. 24-