History of Flight
On May 31, 2014, at 0022 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 150K airplane (N6275G) impacted terrain about 2 miles west of Front Range Airport (FTG) near Watkins, Colorado. The instrument-rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed FTG at 0018. The airplane was reported missing around 0330, and the wreckage was located at about 0730 in a wheat field approximately 2 miles west-northwest of the airport. No witnesses were present. The pilot was not in contact with Air Traffic Control, but radar captured the flight path. The airplane impacted left wing first, bounced once, and came to rest upright. An onboard GoPro camera was recovered, but the accident sequence was not recorded.
Personnel Information
The 29-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings, as well as a ground instructor certificate. He was issued a first-class medical certificate on August 29, 2013. According to his logbooks, he had about 726 total flight hours, with 38 hours in the last 30 days and 4.5 hours in the 24 hours preceding the accident. He had 27.1 hours in night conditions and 0.5 hours in simulated instrument meteorological conditions in the last 60 days. He accumulated 99 hours in simulated IMC and 14.7 hours in actual IMC. Whether he met the currency requirements for IMC operations or night passenger carriage was not indicated in the logbooks.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 150K (serial number 15071775) was a single-engine, two-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear utility airplane manufactured in 1970. It was powered by a 100-horsepower Continental Motors O-200-A engine driving a two-bladed metal McCauley propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on March 4, 2014, at a total aircraft time of 7,030.6 hours, and the airplane was considered airworthy.
Meteorological Information
At 2359 on May 30, 2014, a special observation from Denver International Airport (DEN), 5 miles northwest of the accident site, reported wind calm, 2½ miles visibility, mist, overcast ceiling at 300 feet, temperature 55°F, dew point 54°F, and altimeter 30.19 inches of mercury. At 0027 on May 31, another observation reported wind from 160° at 3 knots, 6 miles visibility, mist, scattered clouds at 200 feet, broken clouds at 500 feet, temperature 55°F, dew point 54°F, and the same altimeter setting.
Flight Recorder Information
The GoPro camera was mounted above the instrument panel, facing rearward. Its time and date stamps were unreliable, but files appeared to be from the day before and the day of the accident. Seven video files were recovered: five from daylight flights and one from the night accident flight. The night video showed the pilot and a passenger at the hangar, the pilot starting the engine, and an automated weather observation (wind calm, visibility 7 miles, ceiling 300 feet overcast). The pilot taxied, performed an engine run-up, checked control freedom, departed the runway, and was seen using his cell phone for a self-photograph during climb-out. The recording ended normally before the accident.
Radar Information
Radar data showed the airplane departing FTG at 0004, flying a traffic pattern, and landing on runway 26 at 0010, reaching about 900 feet AGL. At 0018:56, it departed again and drifted left of the runway centerline. At 0020:06, it turned right to the northwest, climbing at 300 feet per minute to about 640 feet AGL, then turned left, reaching 740 feet AGL. At 0021:24, the left turn tightened and the airplane descended at about 1,900 feet per minute. The last radar point was at 0021:43, at about 140 feet AGL, with the wreckage located inside the radar points completing the descending left turn. The airplane's distance from the runway varied between 0.44 and 1.66 miles.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in a wheat field at 5,423 feet MSL, about 2 miles west-northwest of runway 26's departure end. The airplane impacted left wing first, followed by the left main landing gear, propeller, and right wing, on a heading of 195°. Red and green position light lens fragments were found at the respective wing impact points. A propeller slash mark was near the center impact crater. A second impact area was observed 26 yards away on a heading of 250°, with the main wreckage 16 yards further on that heading, resting with the nose on a heading of 205°. All major components were present. The right wing separated at the root and lay atop the left wing, which was folded under the fuselage and inverted. Flight controls remained attached and moved freely except for the right aileron cable, which separated in tension overload. The elevator trim was near neutral. Fuel tanks contained several gallons of fuel and were not breached. The fuel selector was between OFF and ON. The engine exhibited normal operating signatures, and the propeller showed impact damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple fractures and internal injuries due to blunt trauma, with the manner of death listed as accident. The FAA's toxicology report was negative for tested drugs.
Additional Information
The source references 14 CFR Part 91.155 (Basic VFR Weather Minimums) and 14 CFR Part 61.57 (Recent Flight Experience), but no specific probable cause was stated.