Piper PA-28-140 accident near Mosca, CO
On June 8, 2013, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mosca, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 8, 2013
- Place
- Mosca, CO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 37.850°N, 105.435°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130608X61221
Official records · CEN13FA327
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 8, 2013, about 1050 mountain daylight time, a Piper model PA-28-140 single-engine airplane, N7147R, was substantially damaged during a collision with terrain near the summit of Medano Pass, located within the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, near Mosca, Colorado. The commercial pilot was fatally injured during the accident. One passenger died on June 18, 2013, while being treated for her injuries sustained during the accident. The other passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the pleasure flight that departed Monte Vista Municipal Airport (MVI), Monte Vista, Colorado, about 1015, and was en route to Fremont County Airport (1V6), Canon City, Colorado. The pilot's son reported that he received a brief phone call from his father at 0954, during which his father told him that he was departing shortly for a flight north of the San Luis Valley, to Salida and Canon City. The pilot's son indicated that his father had flown in the mountains for several years and that it was not uncommon for him to use the Medano Pass to cross over the Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range. He indicated that the Medano Pass, situated at 10,040 feet mean sea level, was the lowest mountain pass in the nearby area that allowed passage to the Wet Mountain Valley on the northeast side of the mountain range. About 1045, several witnesses, who were located at various positions along the M
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while attempting to clear a mountain pass in turbulent conditions at a high density altitude, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
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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.
