Piper PA46-500TP accident near Steamboat Springs, CO
On December 11, 2021, a Piper PA46-500TP (airplane) was involved in an accident near Steamboat Springs, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 11, 2021
- Place
- Steamboat Springs, CO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA46-500TP · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.460°N, 106.857°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211211104385
Official records · CEN22FA069
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 10, 2021, about 1809 mountain standard time, a Piper PA46-500TP, N744Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The pilot and sole occupant was fatally injured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. A review of archived Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the airplane departed Cody, Wyoming (COD), about 1705 and was en route to Steamboat Springs/Bob Adams Field (SBS). FAA air traffic control data showed that the pilot was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan and at 1757 was cleared by an air traffic controller to conduct the RNAV (GPS)-E instrument approach procedure at SBS (see figure 1). Figure 1: Published Instrument Approach Procedure For terrain clearance, the procedure required the airplane to cross the final approach fix PEXSA at or above 9,700 ft mean sea level (msl) and WAKOR, the next waypoint located 2.2 nm from runway 32 threshold, at or above 8,740 ft msl. The ADS-B data showed that the accident airplane crossed PEXSA about 9,100 ft msl and WAKOR about 8,200 ft msl respectively. The procedure allowed for a descent to the minimum descent altitude of 8,140 ft msl or 1,258 ft above ground level after passing WAKOR. The missed approach point for the procedure was the runway 32 approach end, and then required a climbing left turn to 11,300 ft msl and indicated the pilot should proceed direct to the HABRO waypoint to enter a holding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to adhere to the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
More accidents in CO
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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.
