Beechcraft G35 N887M

Summary

On 6 June 2010 at about 13:15 local time, a Beechcraft G35 registered N887M was involved in an accident near Marble, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 June 2010 at 13:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Marble, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Private grass strip

Coordinates

39.0736, -107.1664

Aircraft

Beechcraft G35

Registration

N887M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marble → Marble

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10FA299

1 person died.

The pilot’s miscalculation of the airplane's turn radius and climb capabilities at high altitude, resulting in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of mountain flying experience and restricted visibility due to the rising sun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was attempting to land to the east on a private airstrip in mountainous terrain. The surviving passengers reported that the sun had just crested the mountains, obscuring their vision as they approached the vicinity of the airstrip. The pilot overflew the intended destination and informed the passengers that he would turn to land on the airstrip. The pilot misjudged his turn radius and the proximity of the mountains and turned into terrain. The passengers stated that the pilot attempted to maneuver away from the mountain but was unable. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact anomalies which would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. A review of the pilot's log book revealed that he had only operated in mountainous terrain when he flew into the airstrip a few days prior to the accident. Several medications, including hydrocodone, were detected during toxicology. The lack of hydrocodone in the blood sample suggests that the pilot had not ingested this medication within the previous 12 hours and was not impaired by its use. It is unclear what conditions the pilot was treating with medication and whether these conditions interfered with his ability to pilot the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.