Piper PA 46 350P accident near Erie, CO
On August 31, 2014, a Piper PA 46 350P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Erie, CO. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 31, 2014
- Place
- Erie, CO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 46 350P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.012°N, 105.053°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140831X12212
Official records · CEN14FA467
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Specialist's Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Specialist's Report - Attachment 1: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Radar Data - N228LL: Document (XLSX), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Radar Data - N573MS: Document (XLSX), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 31, 2014 about 1150 mountain daylight time, a Piper Malibu PA-46-350P airplane, N228LL, was substantially damaged when the airplane impacted terrain near the Erie Municipal Airport (EIK), Erie, Colorado. The airplane was owned by The Real Estate School, LLC, Erie, Colorado and privately operated. The private pilot and four passengers on board were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated at Centennial Airport (KAPA), Denver, Colorado. Multiple witnesses located at and around EIK saw the accident airplane on final approach to runway 33 while another airplane was departing runway 15. Witnesses stated the two airplanes crossed in "close proximity." The airplane continued down runway 33 and they heard an increase in engine power "as if to go-around." A witness in the fixed-base operator's building described the airplane as being at a low altitude with full power, in a left bank with a nose-high attitude. Witnesses said it appeared the "airplane did not want to fly, it appeared to be in a stall," and "it did not accelerate or climb." The airplane continued in a "rapid descent" until impacting the terrain. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 67, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land, airplane multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. A third-class airman medical certificate was issued on June 30, 2014, with the limitation: must wear correct
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and exceedance of the critical angle of attack during a go-around with a tailwind condition, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. A contributing factor to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the approach with opposing traffic.
More accidents in CO
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Nov 15, 1987
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- Douglas DC3, Mar 9, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 3, 2014
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.
