Incident
At 1906, air traffic control cleared the flight to descend and maintain 7,500 feet, turn right to a heading of 040 for an ASR approach to Pueblo Memorial Airport, and advised that the minimum descent altitude was 5,200 feet. The flight read back the clearance as "left to one forty five two zero zero," which differed from the issued heading. Approach control corrected the heading to 040, and the flight acknowledged. No further communications were received from the aircraft.
Impact
The aircraft subsequently struck tundra in level flight on a heading of approximately 040, traveling at an estimated speed in excess of 200 miles per hour.
Investigation
An autopsy of the copilot revealed the presence of aspirated gastric contents, including skeletal muscle fibers, in the trachea, bronchi, and lungs. Another company pilot reported that the copilot had vomited during a flight on November 14, 1982.
Findings
The official probable cause determination listed the following findings: the flight encountered dark night conditions; the pilot in command was inattentive to altitude; the pilot in command had a diverted attention; and the copilot suffered from physical impairment.