Accident Overview
During a cross-country flight from California to Texas, a flight instructor and two private pilots (enrolled in a professional pilot course) were conducting a mountain curriculum instructional flight. The accident occurred near Elwood Pass, Colorado, on the return leg. The airplane struck trees after the instructor attempted a 180-degree turn-around procedure in a box canyon.
Background
The private pilots were building flight time toward their commercial pilot certification. The flight was planned through Colorado to fulfill the instructional portion of the mountain flying curriculum. Company personnel noted that the instructor had made numerous flights along the regular mountain flying curriculum route, but this was the instructor's first trip crossing the Continental Divide through the canyon at Elwood Pass.
Flight Details
Before the flight, AIRMETs included weather advisories for turbulence. The flight instructor amended the flight route and continued despite Flight Watch issuing the AIRMET for turbulence and advising that VFR was not recommended. The highest elevation on the regular route was 9,927 feet; Elwood Pass elevation is 11,875 feet. Density altitude was calculated at 14,000 feet.
Instructor's Account
The instructor stated that this was the second demonstration of a 180-degree turn-around procedure in a box canyon environment that day. Near the completion of the turn, the instructor reported a severe unexpected downdraft, resulting in a descent rate of 6,000 feet per minute. The airplane subsequently hit the trees.