Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147
Saturday, March 27, 1999 8:52 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
Before departing on the accident flight, the non-instrument rated pilot received two weather briefings, and was advised both times that VFR flight was not recommended. AIRMETs were forecasted for IFR conditions, mountain obscurement, turbulence, and icing conditions along the route of flight. Density altitude was calculated to be 13,248 feet. The aircraft became the subject of an ALNOT when it failed to arrive at its destination later that day. It was located on the morning of April 7 in a snow chute area along a 35 degree inclining slope on the east side of Chalk Peak in the San Juan Mountains east of Durango. Immediate travel to the accident site was delayed due to avalanche conditions and high snow levels. According to surface analysis data, the rising terrain at the north end of the Chalk Mountains was obscured by clouds, with an area of low pressure over Colorado and a weak cold front extended from central Nevada and Utah to along the Wyoming-Colorado border. Examination of the wreckage did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunction.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC conditions. Related factors were flight into known adverse weather, the adverse weather, mountain obscuration, snow, icing, and high density altitude.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/27/1999 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 852 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | PAGOSA SPRINGS |
| Event State | COLORADO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 81147 |
| Event Date Year | 1999 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 853 Mountain Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 275 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DRO |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 6685 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 49 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 4 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 13248 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 322 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 29 1999 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 744 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 11:26AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N56306 |
| NTSB Number | DEN99FA064 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Piper |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32-300 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-32-300 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32-7340170 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3400 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 17 1998 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 437 |
| Airframe Hours | 6746 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | FOXTROT FLYING CLUB, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 8916 NEW YORK AVE. |
| Aircraft Owner City | URBANDALE |
| Aircraft Owner State | IA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 50322 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DRO |
| Departure City | DURANGO |
| Departure State | CO |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 819 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | PRO |
| Destination City | PERRY |
| Destination State | IA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Climb |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |