History of Flight
On December 22, 2010, at 1159 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20E airplane, registration N79869, struck the ground following a missed approach to City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS). The commercial pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. The personal flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 with an IFR flight plan. Instrument meteorological conditions existed at the time. The cross-country flight departed Rapid City Regional Airport at 0917 and was en route to COS.
The pilot contacted COS approach control at 1138 and was advised to expect the ILS approach to Runway 17L. At 1147, N79869 was cleared for the ILS 17L approach, and the pilot acknowledged. Before and during the approach, the controller relayed two pilot reports: an MD-80 experienced light clear ice in clouds after departure, and a CRJ encountered light rime ice in clouds after departure. At 1150, N79869 was cleared to land, and the pilot acknowledged.
At 1152:47, the pilot reported "VFR on top" and at 1153:29, reported entering clouds at 8,500 feet MSL. At 1158:24, the pilot declared a missed approach, stating he could not see the runway environment at 6,400 feet. The controller instructed the pilot to fly runway heading, and the pilot acknowledged. No further voice communications were recorded. The flight did not report any problems or declare an emergency.
The wreckage came to rest about 440 feet south of the approach end of Runway 17L and about 400 feet east of the runway centerline.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 25, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land limited to centerline thrust, and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and instrument airplane. His last FAA third-class medical certificate was issued June 13, 2007, with no limitations. He completed a flight review on April 15, 2010.
The pilot was a United States Air Force B-1B pilot who received an "exceptionally qualified" rating on his last military mission and instrument flight review on April 14, 2010.
According to his logbook, the pilot had 913 total flight hours, including 658 hours in single-engine land airplanes and 254 hours in multiengine land airplanes. He logged 38 hours in actual instrument conditions and 78 hours of simulated instrument time. He had 58 hours in the Mooney M20E since purchasing it in July 2010.
Aircraft Information
The 1964 Mooney M20E, serial number 532, was a single-engine, low-wing, metal-covered airplane with retractable tricycle landing gear, configured for four occupants. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1A engine (200 horsepower at 2,700 RPM) driving a three-bladed Hartzell fixed-pitch propeller. The last annual inspection was performed on July 15, 2010. The airplane lacked de-icing or anti-icing equipment and was not approved for flight in known icing conditions.
Meteorological Information
The NWS Surface Analysis Chart for 1100 depicted a stationary front over southwest Colorado. Station models near the accident site indicated east-southeasterly winds of 5 to 10 knots over eastern Colorado, with fog and/or mist, overcast skies, temperatures in the upper 20s °F, and temperature-dew point spreads of 4 degrees or less. Regional radar mosaic showed no significant weather echoes.
Visible satellite data revealed extensive low stratiform clouds. Soundings for Denver indicated a strong frontal inversion between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, supporting light to moderate rime icing below 10,000 feet with over 80% probability. Conditions between the surface and 8,500 feet had temperatures from -6.5 to -1.5 °C.
AIRMETs SIERRA, TANGO, and ZULU were current for the route and accident location. AIRMET ZULU advised moderate icing between the freezing level and FL240, with the freezing level from the surface to 10,000 feet. Several pilot reports indicated icing conditions below 8,000 feet at COS.
The closest weather station, COS, located one mile west of the accident site at 6,187 feet MSL, issued a METAR at 1154: wind 160° at 7 knots, visibility less than 1/4 mile in freezing fog, RVR for Runway 17L 700 variable 1,200 feet, vertical visibility 100 feet, temperature 27 °F, dew point 25 °F, altimeter 30.18 inHg. Tower visibility was 1/4 mile. A special METAR at 1150 reported similar conditions with RVR 700 variable 1,400 feet.
Airport Information
City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, a public airport in Class Charlie airspace, is located 6 miles southeast of Colorado Springs, Colorado, at an elevation of 6,187 feet. The airport had three open runways (17L/35R, 17R/35L, and 13/31) and 13 instrument approaches. The ILS approach to Runway 17L was aligned on a 171° course. Full ILS approach minimums for all categories: decision altitude 6,387 feet, minimum RVR 1,800 feet or flight visibility 1/2 mile. The missed approach procedure required flying runway heading to 7,200 feet, then a climbing left turn to 9,000 feet on a heading of 020°, proceeding to ADANE via the 086° radial from Black Forest VOR and hold.
Flight Recorders
The airplane carried a Garmin Aera 500 handheld GPS unit. The unit was sent to the NTSB lab, but its memory chip was missing, and no data were recovered.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The initial impact and wreckage were aligned on a 285° magnetic heading. All debris lay within about 100 feet. The main wreckage—engine, both wings, and fuselage aft of the cockpit—was mostly collocated about 20 feet south and east of the initial impact point. The cockpit was largely consumed by post-crash fire. The fuselage and empennage were upright; the right wing attached, the left wing partially attached and inverted. Leading edges of both wings showed accordion crushing consistent with a near-vertical impact. Landing gear was retracted. The engine was inverted next to the left cockpit area. Exhaust and intake were exposed to fire-fighting foam. One propeller blade was partially embedded at the initial impact site with leading edge polishing; the other two blades were attached to the hub.
Flight control continuity was verified on scene for the right aileron, rudder, and elevator to the cockpit. Continuity from the left aileron could not be verified due to impact damage to the left wing, and continuity through the cockpit to the control yoke and rudder pedals could not be verified due to impact and fire damage.
NTSB and Lycoming engineers examined the engine on January 12, 2011. Drive train continuity and cylinder compression were confirmed by hand-turning the propeller. Rotational scarring was noted on the starter housing, but no anomalies precluding normal operation were found.
Medical and Pathological Information
The El Paso County Coroner performed an autopsy on the pilot on December 23, 2010. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. FAA toxicology testing was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs.