Socata TBM 700 accident near Ridgway, CO

On March 22, 2014, a Socata TBM 700 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ridgway, CO. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

March 22, 2014

Place

Ridgway, CO

Aircraft

Socata TBM 700 · Airplane

Injuries

5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

38.218°N, 107.745°W

NTSB ID

20140322X03239

Official records · CEN14FA167

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

Air traffic control records

• FAA Air Traffic Control Contact Summary: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Transcript of Radio Communications -- FAA Air Traffic Control: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• FAA Air Traffic Control Radar Track Data Plot: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 22, 2014, at 1400 mountain daylight time, a Socata TBM 700, N702H, impacted the Ridgway Reservoir, Ridgway, Colorado. The airplane came to rest in about 60 feet of water. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Gadsden Aviation LLC and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the destination airport. The flight was operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight originated from the Bartlesville Municipal Airport (BVO), Bartlesville, Oklahoma, about 1111. The intended destination was the Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), Montrose, Colorado.At 0622 on the morning of the accident, the pilot accessed the Direct User Access Terminal Service (DUATS) and obtained a weather briefing for the route of flight from the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD), Gadsden, Alabama, to BVO. An IFR flight plan for that route of flight was subsequently filed. The accident pilot was listed as the pilot-in-command. Tracking data indicated that the airplane subsequently departed GAD about 0739 and arrived at BVO about 1001. Personnel at the fixed base operator (FBO) located at BVO reported that upon arrival, the pilot requested that the airplane be topped off with fuel and that a ground power unit be made available for engine start. They noted that the pilot and passengers came into the FBO to eat lunch. At 1038, the pilot again accessed DUATS and obtain

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of airplane control during an instrument approach procedure, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and entering an inadvertent aerodynamic stall and spin.

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Browse: Colorado · Socata 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.