Ryan NAVION B accident near Garfield, CO
On July 11, 1997, a Ryan NAVION B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Garfield, CO. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 11, 1997
- Place
- Garfield, CO
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.551°N, 106.290°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08355
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 11, 1997, approximately 1240 mountain daylight time (mdt), a Ryan Navion B, N5401K, registered to BCW, Inc., was destroyed when it struck a power pole and collided with an abandoned mine building during an uncontrolled descent 2 miles west of Garfield, Colorado, near Monarch Pass. The private pilot and three passengers (two of whom were Italian nationals) were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Grand Island, Nebraska, at 0947 central daylight time. According to family members, the airplane was en route from Manassas, Virginia, to a Navion fly-in at Grand Junction, Colorado, with an eventual destination of Salt Lake City, Utah. The airplane stopped at Grand Island, Nebraska, for fuel. According to a spokesperson at Grand Island Aviation, a fixed base operator, the pilot instructed the lineman to fill the main tanks using the right tank fuel filler, then to fill both tip tanks. The airplane was serviced with 50.7 gallons of 100-LL aviation grade gasoline (fuel invoice attached, see exhibits). At 0841 central daylight time (cdt), the pilot telephoned the Columbus, Nebraska, Flight Service Station (FSS), obtained a weather briefing, then filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan to Colorado Springs, Colorado (attached to this report, see exhibits). On the flight plan, the pilot indicated the airplane was equipped with a transponder with altitude reporting capability; that it would be cruising at a true airspeed of 135 knots; the proposed departure time wa
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, during a turn to reverse direction, which resulted in a stall and collision with a pole and a building. High density altiitude was a related factor.
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Browse: Colorado · Ryan aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
