What happened
A private pilot with 265 hours of flight experience filed a VFR flight plan for a trip from Boulder, Colorado, to Pueblo, Colorado, while requesting VFR flight following services. Approximately thirty minutes into the flight, the pilot contacted air traffic control to report encountering moderate turbulence, followed by increased turbulence levels. The pilot then requested flight following services for a return trip to Boulder.
Shortly after this request, the pilot reported that the aircraft was in a spin and that they were unable to correct the condition. The pilot also indicated that they were turning off the transponder. The unidentified aircraft subsequently struck the ground in a near-vertical attitude. There were no survivors.
Findings
The investigation found no physical evidence of a spin at the accident site. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that the pilot had never received spin instruction, nor had they participated in a demonstrated spin. The Pilot's Operating Handbook for the aircraft prohibits spins and warns that allowing a spin to exceed one turn without proper recovery procedures can lead to an unrecoverable spin mode.