Cessna 208B accident near Montrose, CO
On October 8, 1997, a Cessna 208B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Montrose, CO. 9 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 8, 1997
- Place
- Montrose, CO
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 9 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.489°N, 107.870°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08986
Official records · DCA98MA002
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Operations 2 - ATC Supplement to Operations Group Chairman's Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 8, 1997, at 0723 mountain daylight time, N12022, a Cessna 208B, departed controlled flight and collided with terrain at the 9,900 foot level on the Uncompahgre Plateau, about 18 nautical miles (nm) southwest of Montrose, Colorado. The pilot and all eight passengers were killed. The flight was an on-demand air charter operated by the Department of the Interior (DOI) under 14 CFR Part 135. The flight was chartered to transport eight employees of the Bureau of Reclamation from Montrose, Colorado, to Page, Arizona. The registered owner of the airplane was Scenic Airlines Inc., of North Las Vegas, Nevada. The pilot operated the first leg of the roundtrip charter flight from Page, Arizona, to Montrose, Colorado, on October 6, 1997. The flight was uneventful, and the pilot departed the airport about 1800 for a local motel. The return flight was scheduled to depart Montrose at 1700 on October 7. The pilot called the Scenic Airlines scheduler about 1200 and stated his concern about the passage of a cold front and the presence of less-than-VFR weather along the route of flight. He called back about 1500 and, after discussion, delayed the return trip until 0700 the following day, October 8. The pilot returned to the motel for a second night. On the morning of the accident flight, the pilot and passengers were at the airport about 0630. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed upon takeoff. The flight departed from runway 17 of Montrose Regional Airport (elevation 5,759 feet msl) on a company visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan about 0705. About 0710, a
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed for undetermined reasons while maneuvering the airplane near the maximum gross weight and aft cg in or near instrument meteorological conditions, resulting in the loss of control and entry into a stall/spin. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's improper in-flight planning and decision-making and his failure to use proper stall/sp
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Browse: Colorado · Cessna 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.
