Flight History
On June 8, 2013, about 1050 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N7147R, was substantially damaged during a collision with terrain near the summit of Medano Pass, within the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, near Mosca, Colorado. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, one passenger died on June 18, 2013, from injuries sustained in the accident, and another passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan, departing Monte Vista Municipal Airport about 1015 en route to Fremont County Airport. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot's son reported that his father departed shortly for a flight north of the San Luis Valley to Salida and Canon City. The pilot had flown in mountains for several years and occasionally used Medano Pass (10,040 ft mean sea level) to cross the Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range.
Several witnesses along the Medano Pass Primitive Road observed the airplane flying low above the tree line (100–200 ft above ground) toward the pass. The engine operated normally, wings were banking erratically, and ground speed was slow. No witnesses saw the impact. At 1101, hikers notified law enforcement after discovering the wreckage near the Medano Lake Trailhead junction.
The front-seat passenger (also a student pilot) recalled only boarding and the pilot announcing "going down" moments before impact. He had manipulated flight controls earlier, but the pilot resumed control after encountering turbulent conditions. The other passenger told her sister that the airplane experienced very turbulent conditions and eventually "fell out the sky."
Aircraft Information
The 1966 Piper PA-28-140 (serial number 28-21853) was a low-wing design with fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2A engine (150 hp) driving a fixed-pitch propeller. Maximum gross weight was 2,150 lb. The airframe had 4,484.5 total hours; the engine had 2,017.3 hours since overhaul. An annual inspection was completed on June 1, 2012, with no unresolved airworthiness issues. Density altitude at the accident site was about 12,000 ft msl; the service ceiling was 14,300 ft msl, and an exemplar airplane could achieve a climb rate of about 200 ft per minute under optimal conditions.
Meteorological Information
At 1052, the nearest weather station (San Luis Valley Regional Airport, 37 nm southwest) reported wind 350° true at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 21°C, dew point 0°C, altimeter 30.08 inHg. A high-pressure center was near the accident location, with a cold front advancing southwest. Behind the front, winds were north-northeast at 15–20 knots or greater. Pilot reports indicated mountain wave action and light-to-moderate turbulence. A Weather Research and Forecasting Model estimated west winds at 20–24 knots and significant potential for turbulence in and downwind of the pass.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was found at 9,660 ft msl. The near-vertical impact left no significant tree damage or debris path. The engine was partially buried; fuel blight was present. Flight control continuity was confirmed to cockpit controls. The wing flap selector handle was in the second position (partial flaps). No preimpact anomalies were found that would prevent normal operation. Engine examination showed continuity, compression, and spark; the propeller separated and exhibited impact damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy attributed the pilot's death to multiple blunt-force injuries to the head, neck, and torso. Toxicology tests were negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol; salicylate (aspirin metabolite) was detected in urine. The airplane was equipped with lap belts only; the pilot's injuries were consistent with an unrestrained forward impact into the instrument panel.