What happened
On the morning of the accident, PM Air flight 824, operating as a scheduled Federal Express cargo service, departed from Denver, Colorado, at 06:42. The flight was initially flying under instrument flight rules (IFR) toward Montrose, Colorado, with an assigned altitude of 18,000 feet. Shortly after departure, at 06:53, the pilot elected to cancel the IFR flight plan.
Radar tracking indicated that the aircraft, a cargo transport, leveled off at 14,500 feet while traveling on a southwest heading. The flight maintained a steady altitude and direction until approximately 07:19, when it struck the summit of Mt Massive. The impact occurred roughly 50 feet below the 14,221-foot peak. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were reported as ceiling and visibility unlimited (CAVU). The pilot, who was the only person on board, was killed in the crash.
Findings
Post-accident investigations into the pilot's condition revealed the presence of marijuana metabolites, with levels measured at 37 ng/ml in urine and 1 ng/ml in blood. While the pilot had a prior 1974 conviction for controlled substance possession, there were no recent drug or alcohol-related convictions. Investigations confirmed the pilot had received sufficient sleep before the flight. Notably, during the autopsy, investigators discovered two pages from an airmen's information manual held in the hands of the deceased.