Smith AEROSTAR 601P N90464

Summary

On 19 March 2014 at about 22:50 local time, a Smith AEROSTAR 601P registered N90464, operated by Gregory D. Pelley, was involved in an accident near Aurora, 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

19 March 2014 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.6707, -104.7006

Aircraft

Smith AEROSTAR 601P

Registration

N90464

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Gregory D. Pelley

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Aurora

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14FA163

1 person died.

The pilot's operation of the airplane while intoxicated, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot's friend reported that the pilot planned to fly his recently purchased twin-engine airplane over his friend's home to show it to him and another friend. The pilot's friends and several other witnesses reported observing the pilot performing low-level, high-speed aerobatic maneuvers before the airplane collided with trees and then terrain. A 1.75-liter bottle of whiskey was found in the airplane wreckage. A review of the pilot's Federal Aviation Administration medical records revealed that he had a history of alcohol dependence but had reportedly been sober for almost 4 years. Toxicological testing revealed that the pilot had a blood alcohol content of 0.252 milligrams of alcohol per deciliter of blood, which was over six times the limit (0.040) Federal Aviation Regulations allowed for pilots operating an aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.