What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
12/06/13 Departed pub (pueblo, CO) for destination P19 (chandler, AZ). Pilot filed an IFR flight plan, though not instrument rated. Due to winter weather front moving through the area, diverted into lam(Los Alamos, NM) at approx 1745 MST.
12/08/13 0801 Aircraft was observed by crew of a departing new Mexico airlines flight (nma), preparing the aircraft for departure. Nma crew indicated aircraft could not have been adequately cleared of snow & ice in time to have allowed a takeoff and subsequent crash call at 0810.
Interviewed eye witness who saw aircraft take off on the departure prohibited runway 27. Aircraft rose to an estimated height of 150? To 250?when a/c banked sharply (60 to 70 degrees) to the left in a southerly direction with the belly of the a/c facing the witness when it disappeared from his view out of his kitchen window below the roof level of single story home across his street.
Based on assessment of the crash site and location, it appears the a/c continued on the flight path observed by the witness and descended into the canyon that parallels the lam runway.
The right wing of the a/c struck a 50? To 60? Tall pine tree in a slightly inverted position and was spun around as the a/c slid down the trunk of the tree as evidenced by fresh vertical scrapes on the tree trunk. A/c appeared to have impacted the ground right side up on a rock out cropping and bounced/slid into the creek bed in the bottom of the canyon about 15? To 20? From the initial ground impact point.
An intense post-crash fire consumed the a/c completely, burning it from just forward of the engine fire wall to the tail section.
Condition of the engine, propeller hub and engine mounts indicated the a/c impacted horizontally. The left wing was intact, burned but clearly recognizable.
The right wing structure was burned and intermingled with the aft fuselage structure.
Due to the way the a/c came to rest the a/c data plate could not be located until recovery efforts lifted the remains out of the creek bed.
As the FAA filed it
12/06/13 DEPARTED PUB (PUEBLO, CO) FOR DESTINATION P19 (CHANDLER, AZ). PILOT FILED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN, THOUGH NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. DUE TO WINTER WEATHER FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA, DIVERTED INTO LAM(LOS ALAMOS, NM) AT APPROX 1745 MST.
12/08/13 0801 AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BY CREW OF A DEPARTING NEW MEXICO AIRLINES FLIGHT (NMA), PREPARING THE AIRCRAFT FOR DEPARTURE. NMA CREW INDICATED AIRCRAFT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY CLEARED OF SNOW & ICE IN TIME TO HAVE ALLOWED A TAKEOFF AND SUBSEQUENT CRASH CALL AT 0810.
INTERVIEWED EYE WITNESS WHO SAW AIRCRAFT TAKE OFF ON THE DEPARTURE PROHIBITED RUNWAY 27. AIRCRAFT ROSE TO AN ESTIMATED HEIGHT OF 150? TO 250?WHEN A/C BANKED SHARPLY (60 TO 70 DEGREES) TO THE LEFT IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION WITH THE BELLY OF THE A/C FACING THE WITNESS WHEN IT DISAPPEARED FROM HIS VIEW OUT OF HIS KITCHEN WINDOW BELOW THE ROOF LEVEL OF SINGLE STORY HOME ACROSS HIS STREET.
BASED ON ASSESSMENT OF THE CRASH SITE AND LOCATION, IT APPEARS THE A/C CONTINUED ON THE FLIGHT PATH OBSERVED BY THE WITNESS AND DESCENDED INTO THE CANYON THAT PARALLELS THE LAM RUNWAY.
THE RIGHT WING OF THE A/C STRUCK A 50? TO 60? TALL PINE TREE IN A SLIGHTLY INVERTED POSITION AND WAS SPUN AROUND AS THE A/C SLID DOWN THE TRUNK OF THE TREE AS EVIDENCED BY FRESH VERTICAL SCRAPES ON THE TREE TRUNK. A/C APPEARED TO HAVE IMPACTED THE GROUND RIGHT SIDE UP ON A ROCK OUT CROPPING AND BOUNCED/SLID INTO THE CREEK BED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON ABOUT 15? TO 20? FROM THE INITIAL GROUND IMPACT POINT.
AN INTENSE POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE A/C COMPLETELY, BURNING IT FROM JUST FORWARD OF THE ENGINE FIRE WALL TO THE TAIL SECTION.
CONDITION OF THE ENGINE, PROPELLER HUB AND ENGINE MOUNTS INDICATED THE A/C IMPACTED HORIZONTALLY. THE LEFT WING WAS INTACT, BURNED BUT CLEARLY RECOGNIZABLE.
THE RIGHT WING STRUCTURE WAS BURNED AND INTERMINGLED WITH THE AFT FUSELAGE STRUCTURE.
DUE TO THE WAY THE A/C CAME TO REST THE A/C DATA PLATE COULD NOT BE LOCATED UNTIL RECOVERY EFFORTS LIFTED THE REMAINS OUT OF THE CREEK BED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.