What happened
During an approach into Aspen-Pitkin County-Sardy Field, a twin engine airplane experienced a loss of control while on final approach. Despite the weather conditions being reported as excellent at the time of the incident, the aircraft entered a stall and impacted the ground before reaching the runway. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe. There were five serious injuries recorded among the occupants of the aircraft.
Findings
Official investigations into the accident identified that the aircraft stalled during its final approach phase because the pilot did not successfully maintain a sufficient flying speed. Several environmental and operational factors contributed to this loss of airspeed, including:
- High density altitude conditions
- A downwind component during the approach