Lancair 320 accident near Dillon, CO
On July 31, 1997, a Lancair 320 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Dillon, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 31, 1997
- Place
- Dillon, CO
- Aircraft
- Lancair 320 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.620°N, 106.030°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08362
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 31, 1997, at 1420 mountain daylight time (mdt), a Lancair 320 homebuilt experimental aircraft, N360GB, collided with terrain near Dillon, Colorado, in a canyon at 12,200 feet above mean sea level (msl). The private pilot and his passenger received fatal injuries and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed for this personal flight which departed Concord, California, at 0700 mdt. According to a fuel slip found in the wreckage, a fuel stop was made at Richfield, Utah, at 1059 mdt where the pilot purchased 22.2 gallons of 100 LL aviation grade fuel. Any other stops are unknown, and the reported destination, according to the pilot's ex wife, was Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Weather in the area at the time of the accident was instrument meteorological conditions. According to witnesses, the aircraft was observed circling over Dillon, Colorado, and then proceeding east over interstate highway 70. Approximately 8 miles east of Dillon, the interstate highway goes through Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel under the Continental Divide. The tunnel is 1.7 miles in length and the west portal is 11,000 feet msl. The tunnel supervisor and a highway engineer saw the aircraft pass overhead approximately 200 feet above ground level. According to these witnesses, the aircraft was in-and-out of the cloud base and there was moderate rain. They reported the aircraft was in a climb, and turned north up a side canyon where it disappeared into clouds which reached the surface. They said that shortly after the aircraft dis
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) conditions, and failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: low ceiling, rain, and high/mountainous terrain.
More accidents in CO
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Nov 15, 1987
- Grumman Gulfstream III, Mar 30, 2001
- Beech 1900, Jan 28, 2026
- Douglas DC3, Mar 9, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 3, 2014
Browse: Colorado · Lancair 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.
