Piper PA-25-235 N8718L
6 February 2010 · Boulder, Colorado, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 6 February 2010 at about 20:27 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 registered N8718L, operated by Mile High Gliding Inc, was involved in an accident near Boulder, Colorado, United States. 6 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:27
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Boulder, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.0767, -105.2706
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235
- Registration
- N8718L
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Mile High Gliding Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Glider Tow
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Boulder → Boulder
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN10FA115
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The failure of both pilots to see and avoid the other resulting in a midair collision. Contributing to the accident was the lack of perceived visual relative motion of the Piper and the Cirrus to the pilot of each airplane, the terrain background, and the overcast weather conditions making it difficult for either pilot to visually acquire the other aircraft.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While conducting glider-tow operations, the right wing of a Piper PA-25 was struck at a 90 degree angle by a Cirrus SR20. Analysis of the radar information, the flight condition of both airplanes, and the pilots' visibility in their respective cockpit configurations, suggests that until just prior to the impact, the Piper would have been located below the horizon and against the background of the surrounding terrain and city, between the 10 and 11 o’clock position of the Cirrus pilot. The Piper remained in this same relative position in the windscreen of the Cirrus pilot for the entire duration of its 7 minute flight. The Cirrus would have been above the horizon, against the white overcast sky, in about the 1 to 2 o’clock position of the Piper pilot. The Cirrus would have only appeared in this position after the Piper pilot completed the last turn and was headed to the west, which would have been (at most) the last 3 minutes of the flight. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident with an overcast layer and visibility of 8 miles. The overcast sky conditions likely made it difficult for the Piper pilot to detect the primarily white-colored Cirrus. The lack of maneuvering, as observed by the glider pilot prior to the accident, suggests that neither the pilot of the Cirrus nor the pilot of the Piper observed the other airplane prior to the accident. If the Piper pilot had observed the Cirrus prior to the impact, his ability to maneuver to avoid an impact would have been severely limited due to the glider in tow. A postaccident examination of the engine and flight control systems on both airplanes revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have prevented either pilot from maneuvering to avoid an impact. Medical and pathological examination of both pilots revealed no medical or toxicological issues that would have precluded either pilot from operating their airplane in a safe manner prior to the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-25-235 | N8718L | Mile High Gliding Inc | Substantial |
| Cirrus SR20 | N825BC | - | Substantial |
| Schweizer SGS 2-32 | N2472W | Mile High Gliding Inc | - |
Other Piper PA-25 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Jul 2010 | Piper PA-25-235 | Fairfield, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2010 | Piper PA-25-260 | St. Petersburg, Florida, United States | Aerial Banners Inc | No injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 2010 | Piper PA-25 | Tapurah City, Brazil | Aeroagricola Boa Safra Ltda | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Jul 2010 | Piper PA-25-260 | Cairo, Nebraska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-25 | Creswell, Oregon, United States | Scotty Air LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Nov 2011 | Piper PA-25 | Meteropolitana, Chile | Sociedad De Trabajos Aeros Aeropacifico LTDA | No injuries | - |
All 1,925 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Dec 2010 | Beechcraft B60 | Edwards, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 25 Jun 2010 | Airborne OUTBACK | Denver, Colorado, United States | Alfring GIL | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 2010 | Diamond DA 40 | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | Doss Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2010 | Beechcraft 35 | Boulder, Colorado, United States | Curtis Charles | No injuries | - |
| 22 Dec 2010 | Mooney M20E | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 Jun 2010 | Remos G3/600 | Trinidad, Colorado, United States | First Jet Now LLP | Minor injuries | - |