Departure and Weather
The pilot of N950TT departed Front Range Airport at approximately 2008 local time. The airport elevation is 5,512 feet. After departure, the airplane climbed to 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and accelerated to 270 knots, at which point the pilot requested an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance. Weather conditions at the time included a 500-foot overcast ceiling, with witnesses reporting that the thin cloud tops were at 8,500 feet msl and that it was very dark above the clouds, with no stars or moon visible.
Flight Profile
During the climb, the pilot made several adjustments to airspeed and climb rate. Radar data later showed that the airplane entered a descent at 8,500 feet per minute (fpm). The pilot communicated to air traffic control (ATC) that the airplane had stalled. Subsequently, radar indicated a climb at 7,500 fpm until the estimated airspeed dropped to 10 knots, followed by another descent at 8,400 fpm. The airplane then impacted frozen terrain.
Pilot Experience
In the 40 days preceding the flight, the pilot had operated the airplane four times, for a total of 7 hours of flight time.
Pilot Comments
Five airline pilots, each with 3,000 to 5,000 hours of experience in Swearingen aircraft, stated that despite the airplane being certified for single-pilot operation, they believed it required two pilots due to the high workload.