History of Flight
On August 9, 2014, about 1200 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-201 airplane, N3509M, impacted mountainous terrain approximately 12 miles southeast of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane, registered to VSP Aviators LLC and operated by Journeys Aviation Flying Club, was conducting an instructional flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed. The cross-country flight originated from Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS) about 1145, en route to Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU), Boulder, Colorado.
An Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued at 1720 when the flight was overdue. The wreckage was located at 2146 in a mountain valley about 12 miles southeast of SBS.
Email correspondence between the private pilot and the flight instructor indicated that the intended route included legs from BDU to Eagle, Colorado (EGE), to Glenwood Springs (GWS), to EGE, to SBS, and terminating at BDU. The flight instructor was providing instruction for a mountain flying training course. The final leg was intended to start at SBS, continue over Milner Pass, and finish at BDU; the exact route was not discussed.
According to local pilots, a popular route from SBS over the mountains is Rabbit Ears Pass. The main wreckage was found near a second mountain pass about 5 miles southwest of Rabbit Ears Pass and 2 miles south of the highway.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor, age 62, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane, and a flight instructor certificate for single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument airplane. On November 30, 2012, he was issued a limited second-class medical certificate with a corrective lenses limitation. He reported 3,310 total hours and 800 hours in the preceding six months; his total flight time was estimated at 4,000 hours.
The pilot under instruction, age 60, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. On October 31, 2013, he was issued a third-class medical certificate without waivers or limitations. He reported 73 total hours at that time, and his logbook showed about 134 total hours, with about 32 hours in the accident make and model. He had logged 19 total hours in the last 30 days, 16 in the accident make and model.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-28R-201 was a low-wing, four-place, retractable landing gear airplane manufactured in 1978. It was powered by a 200-horsepower Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 engine driving a two-bladed constant-speed McCauley propeller.
On May 21, 2014, a 100-hour/annual inspection was completed for the airframe at a tachometer time of 4,315.1 hours. On August 7, 2014, a 100-hour/annual inspection was completed for the engine at a tachometer time of 4,413.99 hours. The investigation found no evidence of refueling at SBS.
Meteorological Information
At 1154, the automated weather report at SBS, 12 miles northwest of the accident site, reported wind from 210 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 68°F, dew point 46°F, and altimeter setting 30.32 inches of mercury.
The private pilot received standard weather briefings via ForeFlight for each leg. The final leg was planned for a cruise altitude of 12,500 feet and a cruise speed of 135 knots. Calculations indicated a density altitude of about 11,200 feet near the accident location.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted trees and mountainous terrain at an elevation of 9,100 feet msl. Initial impact was identified by damaged tree tops on the edge of an open grassy field. A 120-yard debris path on a heading of 240 degrees showed several damaged trees. A large impact crater was located 105 yards from the initial tree strike. The fuselage came to rest 15 yards southwest of the crater on its right side, oriented on a heading of 350 degrees.
The left and right wings separated from the fuselage. The left wing outboard section separated near the initial tree strike; its leading edge had two circular impact impressions. The left aileron separated near mid-span. The inboard left wing section showed thermal damage; the landing gear remained attached and fully extended.
The right wing outboard section also had a large leading-edge circular impact impression. The inboard section separated near the initial impact area. The right landing gear remained attached and was extended about 45 degrees.
The cockpit area was fractured; first responders opened the top during rescue operations. The empennage remained partially attached. The stabilator was twisted and bent upward 90 degrees. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were deformed and fractured.
The engine and propeller remained partially attached under the fuselage. A postaccident examination revealed no evidence of pre-impact engine anomalies. The right magneto initially showed no spark but functioned after cleaning and reassembly; a slight wobble was attributed to impact damage. Flight control cables exhibited tension overload separations. The cockpit instruments included an airspeed indicator reading 0 knots, an altimeter Kollsman window set to 30.32, and a clock stopped at 1159.
The throttle lever was near mid-range; mixture and propeller levers were full aft. The left control yoke was rotated about 90 degrees right; the right yoke was bent downward. The landing gear lever was down and locked. Switches for master, fuel pump, landing light, and beacon were ON; pitot heat was OFF. Circuit breakers were in, and the autopilot circuit breaker was labeled INOP.
Electronic devices found included two damaged iPads, a Garmin GNS 530, and a GoPro Hero 3; no flight data was recovered.
A Colorado Mountain Flying document from the wreckage outlined techniques such as crossing passes with a 1,000-foot clearance and using a 45-degree angle. According to the airplane's POH, at a density altitude of 11,200 feet with gear and flaps retracted, the expected climb rate was 175-200 feet per minute. The mountain flying document suggested a required climb rate of 300 feet per minute based on a groundspeed of 90 knots.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies on both occupants were performed on August 10, 2014. The instructor's cause of death was blunt force injuries; the private pilot's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and the manner was accident. Toxicology reports showed no significant findings. The instructor sustained distinct injuries to both hands; the private pilot sustained distinct injuries to one hand.