Cessna 150L accident near Silverton, CO

On July 14, 2011, a Cessna 150L (airplane) was involved in an accident near Silverton, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

July 14, 2011

Place

Silverton, CO

Aircraft

Cessna 150L · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

37.791°N, 107.550°W

NTSB ID

20110714X50806

Official records · CEN11FA479

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

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 14, 2011, about 0730 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 150L, N1539Q, was substantially damaged when it impacted mountainous terrain near Silverton, Colorado. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and was being operated by another private individual for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed. The local flight had originated about 0645 from Animas Air Park (00C), Durango, Colorado. A witness about 4 miles to the southeast of the accident location reported the airplane just barely cleared the ridge when it flew directly over him at less than 100 feet above ground level (agl). The witness saw the airplane continue to the northwest and saw it circling when the airplane suddenly pulled nose up, appeared to go upside down, and disappeared from his view behind a ridge near the summit of the Stony Pass Trail. The witness proceeded to the accident location and discovered the wreckage where it had impacted near the summit. A family member of the pilot reported that the pilot was very familiar with the area around Stony Pass, since the family had been visiting the area since the 1970's and they thought he may have been scouting for a camping location in that area. They reported that although he was an experienced pilot, most of his flight time was logged at much lower elevations, and he was not very experienced at mountain flying. The family member also reported that the pilot had no fear at all about fl

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while operating it at low levels above mountainous terrain and in excess of its maximum allowable gross weight, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. The pilot's failure to maintain control resulted from an acute cardiac event and incapacitation, hypoxia, or the effects of sedating medications or a combination of these factors. Contributing

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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.