Incident Overview
On a flight from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Steamboat Springs (SBS), Colorado, with intermediate stops at Sioux City and Cheyenne (CYS), the pilot contacted Denver Flight Service Station (FSS) at 2245. He reported being on final approach to SBS and that the runway lights had gone out. He requested a frequency to turn the lights back on.
The FSS specialist checked the airport directory but found no listed frequency for SBS. The specialist advised the pilot to try frequency 122.8. Shortly thereafter, the pilot reported that he had the lights and canceled his flight plan.
Accident Sequence
At 2251, the aircraft struck power lines, crashed, and burned approximately midway between SBS and Yampa Valley Airport at Hayden (HDN), Colorado. The crash site was in a valley area at an elevation of about 6,000 feet mean sea level. The elevations of the airports at SBS and HDN were 6,875 feet and 6,597 feet, respectively.
Runway Light Systems
The runway lights at SBS were privately owned by Rocky Mountain Airways and were turned off sometime after the last flight departed SBS at 2025. The runway lights at HDN were pilot-controlled by tuning the aircraft radio to 122.8 MHz and depressing the microphone button three to seven times, depending on the desired intensity. The frequency at SBS was also 122.8 MHz.
Mechanical Findings
No preimpact mechanical problem was found with the aircraft.