Beech H35 accident near La Veta, CO
On July 26, 1998, a Beech H35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near La Veta, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 26, 1998
- Place
- La Veta, CO
- Aircraft
- Beech H35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.510°N, 105.001°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X10562
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 26, 1998, approximately 1100 mountain daylight time, a Beech H35, N35DE, registered to and operated by the pilot, was destroyed when it collided with terrain while maneuvering near La Veta Pass, about 8 miles northwest of La Veta, Colorado. The private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of their departure from Alamosa, Colorado, but instrument meteorological conditions reportedly existed at the accident site. No flight plan had been filed for the personal cross-country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at 1042. The pilot, James R. Ash, and his passenger, Joseph A. Todaro, departed Buckeye, Arizona, at 0620, en route to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they planned to attend the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual fly-in. The airplane landed at Alamosa approximately 1000. According to Lineman Randy Duran, he serviced the airplane with 52.5 gallons of 100-LL aviation gasoline and added oil. He noticed the pilot wore two hearing aids. His passenger was apprehensive and expressed concern about the weather. About the same time, a group of experimental-homebuilt airplanes, also en route to the EAA fly-in, landed at Alamosa for fuel. As the pilots prepared to depart, Paul Foster and John McMillan of Cody, Wyoming, flying N761AV, a Cessna T210M, offered to fly to La Veta Pass and assess the weather. When they arrived at La Veta Pass, they radioed the other pilots that the pass was completely obscured. The pilots returned to Alamosa and spent the night a
Probable cause
The pilot's poor judgment by intentionally flying into instrument meteorological conditions without proper certification. Factors were his failure to obtain a weather briefing, and the existing weather conditions that included clouds, rain, and obscuration.
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Browse: Colorado · Beech 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.
