# Accident 20000430011889A: Smith AEROSTAR 601, Estes Park, CO, April 30, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 30, 2000, 12:11 local time
- Place: Estes Park, CO
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.3698° N, 105.5209° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3698&lon=-105.5209&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7421S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7421S-2013-07-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Smith AEROSTAR 601 (registry code 8360606, https://openairdocs.org/model/smith-aerostar-601) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN00FA086](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00FA086) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000430011889A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON APRIL 30, 2000, AT 1211 MDT, A SMITH AEROSTAR 601, N7412S WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED AT 12,600 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ON COMMANCHE PEAK IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, NEAR ESTES PARK, CO. THE PRIVATE CERTIFIED NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES, AND THE A/C WAS DESTROYED. THE FLIGHT WAS A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED PAGE, AZ. AT APPROX. 1030, DESTINATION, FORT COLLINS, CO.

## 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 DEN00FA086](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00FA086), Apr 30, 2000: Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601 (N7421S), Estes Park, CO, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: A descent below the surrounding terrain, by the pilot, in IMC conditions. Factors were high mountainous terrain, clouds, inaccurate weather evaluation by the pilot, and the pilot's flight into IMC…

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.