Piper PA-46 accident near Hayden, CO

On December 22, 2008, a Piper PA-46 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hayden, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

December 22, 2008

Place

Hayden, CO

Aircraft

Piper PA-46 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

40.570°N, 107.416°W

NTSB ID

20081222X25717

Official records · CEN09FA098

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Transcript of Weather Briefing: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Transcript of Air Traffic Control (ATC) Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 22, 2008, at 1220 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-46-310P, N46SB, registered to and operated by the pilot, was destroyed when it collided with terrain following a loss of control during an instrument landing system (ILS) runway 10 approach to the Yampa Valley Airport (HDN), Hayden, Colorado. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The private pilot-in-command and commercial pilot on board the airplane were fatally injured. The cross-country flight originated at Hutchison (HUT), Kansas, at 1010 central standard time, and was en route to HDN. The two pilots, husband and wife, had flown to HUT on December 7 to have an annual inspection performed on their airplane. They rented an automobile and returned home to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. When told the airplane was ready for pickup, they returned to HUT. The accident occurred as they were flying back to HDN. The pilot obtained a weather briefing on the evening of December 21, and again at 0917 cst on the morning of December 22. In the latter briefing, he was told there was a stationary front along the Front Range, and a large low pressure area aloft approaching Colorado from the northern Rockies. These conditions were bringing deteriorating conditions including moisture --– mist, increasing snow, and fog --– and mountain obscuration due to clouds and precipitation. There were sever

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of situational awareness while maneuvering in adverse weather conditions, resulting in spatial disorientation.

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Browse: Colorado · Piper aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.