Cessna 172K N78035

Summary

On 5 January 2002 at about 22:58 local time, a Cessna 172K registered N78035 was involved in an accident near Boulder, 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.

Date

5 January 2002 at 22:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.0936, -105.2936

Aircraft

Cessna 172K

Registration

N78035

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Longmont → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN02FA017

1 person died.

the pilot's intentional suicidal flight into terrain. Contributing factors were the pilot's psychological depressive state, and his use of inappropriate medication.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Radar data indicates that the pilot was airborne for approximately 34 minutes when he began squawking 7700 (emergency transmission). Witnesses said the airplane flew straight and level into the mountain. The pilot's wife said that he was being treated for depression. A psychotherapist reported that the pilot had been seeing her for approximately 2 and a half months, twice a week, for severe depression. She said he was also taking an anti-depressant medication. She further stated that the pilot told her that if "he killed himself, he would do it in a plane, and crash it with only himself in it." On March 7, 2002, the Boulder County coroner ruled the pilot's manner of death as suicide.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.