Beechcraft A36 N6162E

Summary

On 7 June 2004 at about 22:50 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N6162E was involved in an accident near Gilcrest, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 2004 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Gilcrest, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.2406, -104.8025

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N6162E

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

DEN04FA087

2 people died.

the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision by his failure to switch fuel tank selector position which resulted in fuel starvation. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses driving north on the highway observed the airplane flying low to the ground, in a northerly direction. According to one witness, the airplane's wings rocked from side to side and then the airplane pitched up. The airplane's nose dropped and the airplane impacted in a right wing low attitude. The airplane came to rest in a sod field approximately 1/4 mile east of the highway. One witness who had exited his vehicle noted a strong fuel smell. The surviving passenger stated that the "airplane shuttered, and a lot of the alarms on the plane started going off." The passenger estimated that they were approximately 500 feet agl and had been attempting to climb. According to the passenger, the pilot "could [not] reach the switch for the gas tanks" so the front seat passenger switched it. The passenger was not sure if they tried to start the engine. She heard the front seat passenger make the mayday call and could not recall anything after the impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.