Beechcraft C90A N590GM

Summary

On 5 October 2007 at about 05:17 local time, a Beechcraft C90A registered N590GM, operated by Scenic Aviation Inc, 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

5 October 2007 at 05:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Not Applicable

Coordinates

37.1836, -106.5844

Aircraft

Beechcraft C90A

Registration

N590GM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Scenic Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chinle → Alamosa

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

DEN08FA003

3 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, improper in-flight planning and decision making, the dark night, and the controller's failure to issue a safety alert to the pilot.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot contacted air traffic control, using the wrong call sign, requesting radar flight following. The airplane initially climbed to 13,500 feet, descended to 11,500 feet, climbed to 13,500 feet, and then began a descent until it impacted terrain at 11,900 feet. One minute prior to impact, the pilot asked the air traffic controller about various minimum altitudes for his route of flight. The controller responded with a minimum instrument altitude of 15,000 to 15,300 feet. A review of the handling of the accident flight showed that the controller was aware of the airplane's position, altitude, general route of flight, and its proximity to terrain. No safety alert was issued to the accident flight. Weather depiction charts, infrared satellite imagery, and local weather observations indicate instrument meteorological conditions prevailed along the route of flight, closest to the accident location. The moon had set at 1539 on the day of the accident. The pilot reported a planned flight altitude of 12,500 feet to his dispatcher. No record of a preflight weather briefing was located. An examination of the airplane, engines, and related systems revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.