Just HIGHLANDER accident near Dolores, CO
On January 6, 2024, a Just HIGHLANDER (airplane) was involved in an accident near Dolores, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 6, 2024
- Place
- Dolores, CO
- Aircraft
- Just HIGHLANDER · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.527°N, 108.515°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240107193620
Official records · CEN24FA083
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 6, 2024, about 0945 mountain standard time a Just Highlander airplane, N712DG, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Dolores, Colorado. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to ADS-B data, the airplane was flown from the Cortez Municipal Airport (CEZ), Cortez, Colorado two days before the accident. The data showed the departure time as about 1601. The airplane landed at the pilot’s private dirt airstrip about 1616. The airplane was parked outside at the private airstrip until the morning of January 6, 2024. The distance from CEZ to the private airstrip was about 17 miles. On the morning of January 6th, about 0915, a family member received a text message from one of the pilots that they were flying back to CEZ. When the airplane did not arrive at CEZ an ALNOT was issued, and a search team was assembled. On January 7th, about 1400, the airplane wreckage was located by local law enforcement beyond the departure end of the private runway. A post-impact fire consumed most of the airplane. There were no witnesses to the accident and there was no ADS-B or radar data associated with the accident flight. A local pilot flying in the area reported that he saw 3 tire tracks on the snow-covered dirt runway near the estimated time that the accident occurred. Investigators were unable to determine the exact time of the airplane’s departure or the time of the accident. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane wreckage was located
Probable cause
The pilot’s collision with a fence while taking off from a snow-covered dirt airstrip.
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Browse: Colorado
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
