Socata TB-20 N20NK
23 April 1997 · Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 23 April 1997 at about 19:37 local time, a Socata TB-20 registered N20NK, operated by Michael K. Brouillette, was involved in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:37
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.2406, -107.0305
- Aircraft
- Socata TB-20
- Registration
- N20NK
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Michael K. Brouillette
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sedona → Englewood
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW97FA166
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
inadvertent flight by the pilot into known adverse weather conditions, and his failure to maintain altitude or clearance from terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: low ceiling, rain, snow, icing conditions, and mountainous terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While on a cross-country flight, the pilot encountered deteriorating weather. He contacted a FSS and requested to change his VFR clearance to IFR. Due to his inability to climb to an IFR MEA in visual conditions and crossing traffic, the IFR request was not accepted. He informed the controller he thought he was 'picking up tail plane ice' and would have to descend to better weather (visibility) conditions and plan an alternate route. Later in the day, the pilot's wife reported that he had not arrived, and an ALNOT was issued. The aircraft was found 5 days later where it had impacted into a mountain at 11,100 feet msl, near the area where the pilot had made the last radio contact. Impact marks showed that the aircraft was in level flight when it crashed. The aircraft partially burned following impact. Weather in the area, at the time of the accident, was reported as low clouds, with the mountain tops obscured, rain, and snow. Due to weather, access to the site by investigators was not achieved until 8/5/97. The accident occurred on 4/23/97.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Socata TB-20 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Dec 1997 | Socata TB-20 | Little Cayman, Cayman Islands | Michael S. Wertheim | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Dec 1997 | Socata TB-20 TRINIDAD | Roanoke, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Oct 1996 | Socata TB-20 | Mobile, Alabama, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2001 | Socata TB-20 | Amherst, New Hampshire, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jun 2001 | Socata TB-20 | Naples, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 2002 | Socata TB-20 | Massena, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-32-300T | Del Norte, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-28-140 | Leadville, Colorado, United States | Michael S. Luther | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Rans S-12 Airaile S-12 | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Cessna 305A | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Cessna 210 | Peyton, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 1997 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |