Accident Overview
On November 28, 2004, about 0958 mountain standard time, a Canadair, Ltd., CL-600-2A12, registration N873G, operated by Air Castle Corporation dba Global Aviation as Glo-Air flight 73, collided with the ground during takeoff at Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), Montrose, Colorado. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and post-crash fire. The on-demand charter flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on an instrument flight rules flight plan.
Occupants and Injuries
Of the six occupants on board, the captain, the flight attendant, and one passenger were killed. The first officer and two passengers were seriously injured. No other injuries were reported.
Weather and Flight Details
Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, with snow falling. The flight was en route to South Bend Regional Airport (SBN), South Bend, Indiana.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the flight crew's failure to ensure that the airplane’s wings were free of ice or snow contamination that accumulated while the airplane was on the ground, which resulted in an attempted takeoff with upper wing contamination that induced the subsequent stall and collision with the ground. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilots’ lack of experience flying during winter weather conditions.