Piper PA-28-140 accident near Castle Rock, CO
On March 31, 2013, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Castle Rock, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 31, 2013
- Place
- Castle Rock, CO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.303°N, 104.758°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130405X20143
Official records · CEN13FA219
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 30, 2013, about 2000 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA28-140, N55093, registered to the pilot, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain while maneuvering in the vicinity of Castle Rock, Colorado. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Dusk visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity and no flight plan was filed for the personal cross-country flight that was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated at 1715 from the Sandia Airpark Estes East Airport (1N1), Albuquerque, New Mexico, and its planned destination was Centennial Airport (APA), Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the flight was transport the airplane from California back to Denver, as the pilot had relocated from California to Denver about one month prior to the accident. According to radar data provided by the FAA, the airplane's flight was on a course directly to its planned destination of APA. About 18 miles southwest of APA, the radar track showed the airplane make several turns off its track, then resume its track toward the airport. Weather radar images showed that the airplane was flying in between two areas of convective storm activity. Radar contact was lost about 16 miles from APA about 8,000 feet MSL (about 1,500 feet AGL). No distress calls were heard from the pilot. A local resident reported hearing the sound of an airplane engine revving, but he did not see the accident. The wreckage of the airplane was found in a ranch pasture by a local ranch worker on the morn
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of airplane control while maneuvering between two convective storms that likely produced low-level windshear. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's relatively low overall flight experience and low night flight experience, which contributed to his inability to fly in the environmental conditions that were present.
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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.
