Incident Summary
On an unspecified date, a pilot took off and was airborne for approximately 34 minutes before activating the aircraft's emergency transponder code 7700. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane fly straight and level directly into a mountain.
Background
The pilot's wife disclosed that her husband was undergoing treatment for depression. A psychotherapist confirmed that she had been treating the pilot for severe depression over a period of about two and a half months, with sessions twice weekly. The therapist noted that the pilot was taking an antidepressant medication. Additionally, the pilot had told the therapist that if he were to kill himself, he would do so in an aircraft, crashing it with only himself aboard.
Coroner's Determination
On March 7, 2002, the Boulder County coroner ruled the pilot's manner of death as suicide.