Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 21, 1993, at 2118 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-23-160, N4382P, conducted a forced landing into a heavily wooded area 3 miles east of Franktown, Colorado. The two pilots and two passengers received serious injuries and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed for this personal flight from Asheville, North Carolina, to Englewood, Colorado. The flight made a fuel stop at Salina, Kansas, prior to the leg which ended with the accident, and picked up an IFR clearance when approaching the Englewood area.

The pilot contacted Denver Approach Control at 2103 and was assigned an altitude of 9,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL). They were given ATIS information lima, (see meteorological portion of this document), and vectors for the ILS (instrument landing system) approach to runway 35 at Centennial Airport. At 2108, a descent to 8,000 feet was given by approach control, and at 2115, the pilot informed approach control they were picking up some ice. At 2116, the pilot informed approach control they were losing an engine and losing altitude. The last communications with the aircraft occurred at 2117. At that time, the pilot was reporting a rough running engine and an altitude of 7,000 feet with intermittent ground contact. (See attached communications transcripts and controller statements).

After radar and communications were lost, an ELT (emergency locator transmitter) was picked up by Denver Center. The crew had attempted a forced landing and the aircraft collided with trees during final approach. Accident site elevation was approximately 6,000 feet MSL.

According to the pilot in command, she was flying and her husband, a commercial airline pilot, was handling the radios. The pilot said, "at approximately 12-13 miles out of Centennial everything happened at once. We had begun to notice a definite drop in ground speed. Sid [the other pilot] said we were starting to get a little buildup of ice. I recall he reported this to DEN approach."

The pilot further stated, "I cannot remember everything that happened. I know we lost some power. There had been no engine problems the entire trip. However, I recall a sudden loss of power and altitude. We were at cruise power and had not throttled back for a descent. I believe we lost power on one engine, but I cannot say which. I remember putting on carb heat and the aux fuel pumps. The other engine was set at full power."

"We waked up both of our sons who were in the rear seats, making them check their seat belts. Everything happened so quickly - the loss of power and altitude. I remember Sid telling DEN approach we were going down. We never lost control of the airplane; there was no stall, no spin."

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Information lima at Centennial Airport was "indefinite ceiling five hundred sky obscured visibility one snow and fog wind zero five zero at seven a