Piper PA-32-300 N56306

Summary

On 27 March 1999 at about 15:52 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N56306 was involved in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 March 1999 at 15:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

37.2409, -107.0304

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N56306

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Durango → Perry

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN99FA064

3 people died.

The pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC conditions. Related factors were flight into known adverse weather, the adverse weather, mountain obscuration, snow, icing, and high density altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before departing on the accident flight, the non-instrument rated pilot received two weather briefings, and was advised both times that VFR flight was not recommended. AIRMETs were forecasted for IFR conditions, mountain obscurement, turbulence, and icing conditions along the route of flight. Density altitude was calculated to be 13,248 feet. The aircraft became the subject of an ALNOT when it failed to arrive at its destination later that day. It was located on the morning of April 7 in a snow chute area along a 35 degree inclining slope on the east side of Chalk Peak in the San Juan Mountains east of Durango. Immediate travel to the accident site was delayed due to avalanche conditions and high snow levels. According to surface analysis data, the rising terrain at the north end of the Chalk Mountains was obscured by clouds, with an area of low pressure over Colorado and a weak cold front extended from central Nevada and Utah to along the Wyoming-Colorado border. Examination of the wreckage did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.