On March 8, 1994, a Rockwell 690C (registration N5938K) operated by Casper Air Service was involved in an aviation accident near Hayden, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: FAILURE BY THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. A FACTOR WAS DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 6 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During a dark night visual descent, an aircraft struck trees atop a 9,600-ft mountain 15 miles from the destination airport. The pilot continued to the airport and landed after switching seats due to a shattered windscreen, unaware of the collision until post-landing inspection.
Incident Details
While conducting a visual descent for landing at the destination airport during a dark night, the aircraft collided with trees on the top of a 9,600-foot mountain approximately 15 miles from the airport. At the time of the collision, the pilot had the airport in sight and was proceeding to a base leg. The airport elevation is 6,604 feet.
Aftermath
The pilot did not know what he had hit until he inspected the aircraft after landing. Despite the collision, the pilot continued to the airport and landed uneventfully after switching from the left to the right seat due to a shattered windscreen.