20140314002439A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-235 · Fruita, CO · March 14, 2014

Date
March 14, 2014 · 17:05 local
Place
Fruita, CO
Airport
Mack Mesa
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N9172W
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN14CA160
Reported as
Piper PA-28-235
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,084 total568 in this make and model7 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot departed Mack Colorado (10CO) for a local flight to make an aerial observation of a well located in a nearby canyon. The pilot was trying to climb over a ridge out of the canyon and impacted terrain.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT DEPARTED MACK COLORADO (10CO) FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT TO MAKE AN AERIAL OBSERVATION OF A WELL LOCATED IN A NEARBY CANYON. THE PILOT WAS TRYING TO CLIMB OVER A RIDGE OUT OF THE CANYON AND IMPACTED TERRAIN.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.