Private Grass Strip Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Marble, Colorado 81623
Sunday, June 6, 2010 7:15 MDT

The private pilot was attempting to land to the east on a private airstrip in mountainous terrain. The surviving passengers reported that the sun had just crested the mountains, obscuring their vision as they approached the vicinity of the airstrip. The pilot overflew the intended destination and informed the passengers that he would turn to land on the airstrip. The pilot misjudged his turn radius and the proximity of the mountains and turned into terrain. The passengers stated that the pilot attempted to maneuver away from the mountain but was unable. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact anomalies which would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. A review of the pilot's log book revealed that he had only operated in mountainous terrain when he flew into the airstrip a few days prior to the accident. Several medications, including hydrocodone, were detected during toxicology. The lack of hydrocodone in the blood sample suggests that the pilot had not ingested this medication within the previous 12 hours and was not impaired by its use. It is unclear what conditions the pilot was treating with medication and whether these conditions interfered with his ability to pilot the airplane.

The pilot’s miscalculation of the airplane's turn radius and climb capabilities at high altitude, resulting in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of mountain flying experience and restricted visibility due to the rising sun.