Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 8, 2000, at 1250 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 210L airplane, N732ER, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while in cruise flight near Mack, Colorado. The commercial pilot, who was the registered owner of the airplane, and his passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Grand Junction Airport, Grand Junction, Colorado, approximately 18 minutes prior to the accident, and was destined for Vernal, Utah.

The accident airplane was part of a 7-airplane caravan trip throughout the southwest. The accident airplane departed Arlington, Texas, on May 7, 2000, and flew to San Angelo, Texas, and then to Grand Junction, where the pilot topped-off the fuel tanks for the following day's flight to Vernal (located 105 miles north, northwest of Grand Junction). The remaining 6 airplanes flew to Vernal, Utah, on the 7th and were awaiting the accident airplane's arrival on the 8th for their next leg to Moab, Utah.

On the morning of May 8, 2000, the pilot and his passenger arrived at the Grand Junction Airport where they checked the weather (on 3 separate occasions), and according to line personnel at the fixed base operator, waited (approximately 3 hours) for the "weather to clear." One of the line personnel stated that the weather was "stormy and windy." The pilot informed them that he was going to fly over Douglas Pass to Vernal. The line personnel stated that the mountain tops were obscured by clouds in that area, and they told the pilot that he might be able to go around the weather by flying to Green River, Utah, where "the weather was clearer." They said that the pilot stated that, "if the weather was too bad, he would head west or return to the airport." The line personnel added that the pilot stated that he was not going to file an instrument flight rules flight plan because he could not obtain icing levels, so he filed a VFR flight plan instead.

According to air traffic control information, the pilot contacted Denver departure at 1241, and was given the altimeter setting of 29.92 inches of mercury. At 1249, Denver departure lost radar contact with the airplane and could not establish radio contact with the pilot. A search was initiated, and the airplane was located at 1830.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot was issued a commercial certificate with airplane single-engine, airplane multi-engine, and instrument airplane ratings on July 30, 1970. The pilot was issued an airplane single-engine flight instructor certificate on July 27, 1999. Review of the pilot's logbooks revealed that he had accumulated approximately 4,083 flight hours, of which 2,640 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. According to the logbook, the pilot flew 334 hours in actual instrument conditions, and 264 hours in simulat