Piper PA-32-260 N991RC
16 August 1999 · Aspen, Colorado, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 16 August 1999 at about 15:30 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N991RC was involved in an accident near Aspen, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Aspen, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.1895, -106.8195
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260
- Registration
- N991RC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Sugar Land
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN99LA146
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate in flight planning. Factors were the high density altitude, the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing, and the sign post that the right wing impacted.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot said that he departed runway 33 at Aspen, turned right crosswind, and headed towards the pass. He said that when he got above 11,000 feet msl, 'the airplane really got mushy.' He said that he believed that he wasn't going to make it over the pass (elevation 12,095 feet), so he landed straight ahead. During the landing on brush covered rising mountainous terrain, the right wing impacted a sign post wing and the airplane spun 180 degrees. The density altitude at the accident site was 13,136 feet.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Mar 1999 | Piper PA-32-300 | Marquette, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 1999 | Piper PA-32-300 | Fallbrook, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1999 | Piper PA-32-260 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Tropical Aircraft | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 1999 | Piper PA-32-300 | McGrath, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-32-300 | Rifle, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 May 1999 | Piper PA-32-300 | Dickson, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,695 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Apr 1999 | Weatherly 201-C | Two Buttes, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 1999 | Air Tractor AT-402A | Mead, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 1999 | Robinson R22 BETA | Englewood, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 1999 | Cameron V-77 | Elbert, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Nov 1999 | Beechcraft A60 | Boulder, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Dec 1999 | Luscombe 8E | San Luis, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |