Piper PA 46-350P accident near Westcliffe, CO
On January 9, 2011, a Piper PA 46-350P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Westcliffe, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 9, 2011
- Place
- Westcliffe, CO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 46-350P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 37.895°N, 105.441°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110110X84545
Official records · CEN11FA150
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Other Pertinent Forms and Reports: Transcript of ARTCC transmissions: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Other Pertinent Forms and Reports: Transcript of FSS recording: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 9, 2011, approximately 1340 mountain standard time, a single-engine Piper PA 46-350P, N727MC, impacted mountainous terrain in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Westcliffe, Colorado. The private pilot and passenger were both fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a cross-country flight. The airplane descended through instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The airplane departed the Phoenix-Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Phoenix, Arizona, approximately 1200 and was en route to the Pueblo Memorial Airport (PUB), Pueblo, Colorado. The airplane disappeared from radar while en route to PUB. An alert notice (ALNOT) was issued for the missing airplane and a search began. On the afternoon of December 10, 2011, search teams located the airplane. A translation of radar data obtained from the FAA depicted the airplane level at FL 250 while en route to DREXL. At 1329:46, The airplane descended from FL250 at about 1,200 feet per minute (fpm). At 1333:25, the airplane turned right and increased the descent rate to approximately 3,000 fpm at an altitude reading of 17,600 feet. At 1333:54, the airplane climbed about 5,000 fpm to approximately 19,200 feet. The airplane then descended at a rate in excess of 7,000 fpm with the last radar return at 1334:33 at an altitude of 12,200 feet (about 2,500 feet above ground level). PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 66, h
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control following an encounter with moderate to severe weather.
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Browse: Colorado · Piper 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.
