# Accident 19971008045849A: Cessna 208B, Montrose, CO, October 8, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 8, 1997, 07:23 local time
- Place: Montrose, CO
- Airport: Montrose County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: ASWA
- Location: 38.4894° N, 107.8697° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4894&lon=-107.8697&mi=10
- Aircraft: N12022, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N12022-2001-10-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 208B (registry code 2073701, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-208b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series (registry code 52032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 208B
- Reported engine: PWA PT6A114A
- People aboard: 9
- Fatal injuries: 9
- Pilot flight hours: 12,900 total, 1,546 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DCA98MA002](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA98MA002) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971008045849A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4)THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FOR A FLIGHT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. IT WAS TRACKED BY RADAR FROM THE DEPARTURE AREA TO THE ACCIDENT SITE.  WHILE CLIMBING AT THE NORMAL RATE OF CLIMB TO 15,400 FEET, THE AIRPLANE ABRUPTLY DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR.  THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED AMONG PINE TREES AND EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF A STEEP FLIGHTPATH ANGLE AND DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH A STALL/SPIN EVENT.  INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO INDICATION OF AIRFRAME OR FLIGHT CONTROL ANOMALIES, AND THE POWERPLANT AND PROPELLER DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH ENGINE OPERATION AT MODERATE TO HIGH POWER.  EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS FREE OF AIRFRAME ICE AT IMPACT.  POSTACCIDENT CALCULATIONS INDICATE THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NEAR THE MAXIMUM CERTIFICATED GROSS WEIGHT AND AFT CENTER OF GRAVITY LIMIT.  THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN INSTRUMENT FLYING CURRENCY AND REPORTEDLY AVOIDED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT USE OXYGEN, AS REQUIRED (WHEN FLYING ABOVE 12,000 FEET).  GROUND OBSERVATIONS AND SATELLITE AND DOPPLER RADAR IMAGERY INDICATED WIDESPREAD CLOUDINESS OVER THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF MONTROSE ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT.  SATELLITE DATA  SHOWED VARIABLE CLOUDS TOPS HIGHER THAN THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT ALTITUDE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE RADAR PLOT OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE CLIMB ABOVE 10,000 FEET INDICATED COURSE CHANGES FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO THE NORTHWEST, BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST AND THEN A SHARP TURN TO THE RIGHT JUST PRIOR TO THE RAPID DESCENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DCA98MA002](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA98MA002), Oct 8, 1997: Cessna 208B (N12022), Montrose, CO, destroyed, 9 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed for undetermined reasons while maneuvering the airplane near the maximum gross weight and aft cg in or near instrument meteorological conditions,…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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