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20230706009179A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper AEROSTAR 601P · Burlington, CO · July 6, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 6, 2023 · 14:00 local
Place
Burlington, CO
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N100PB
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN23FA285
Reported as
Piper Aerostar 601P
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
20,000 total
N100PBRegistered now · Piper AEROSTAR 601PS/N 61P05847963257 · Built 1978Airframe modelPiper AEROSTAR 601PEngine modelLycoming IO-540 seriesReciprocating

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.

Piper Aerostar 601P crashed into a field due to unknown circumstances approxiately 13 miles south-southwest of the kit carson county airport (itr). Wreckage was discovered by a farmer at approximately 12:00 p.m. on Saturday July 8, 2023. Aircraft is believed to have crashed on Thursday July 6, 2023. Aircraft was destroyed and there was a post-crash fire. County sheriff and coroner were first responders; they reported the accident to the NTSB who then relayed to roc. The sheriff’s initial on-site survey observed that the debris field fanned out towards the north approximately 80-100 yards from the point of impact. The debris field was approximately 60-70 yards wide. The aircraft was substantially fragmented.

At 1:30 pm on Thursday July 6, 2023, the Aerostar was seen taking off from itr on a southerly direction by a bonanza pilot who was preparing to takeoff. He said that the takeoff and climbout appeared normal. Airport camera footage of the ramp and runway recorded the takeoff at 1:30 p.m.

Prior to departing, the accident pilot and the bonanza pilot were conversing in the FBO lounge area awaiting the fog to clear; weather at the airport that morning was overcast, rainy, and foggy and forecast to start clearing at 2:00 p.m. the Aerostar pilot stated he was going about as FAR west as he can and that his destination was California. He also said that aircraft GPS problems would prevent him from flying IFR and he would have to fly VFR. There is no evidence of a flight plan being filed. This conversation was confirmed by airport camera recording of the FBO lounge area on July 6, 2023, from 11:00 to 11:15 a.m.

The owner of the property at the crash site said he lived approximately a mile south of the airport and operated a shop approximately a mile northwest of the crash site. He traveled back and forth on the day of the crash between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. he said the weather near the airport seemed to be clearing, but the fog at his shop was thick and visibility was less than a mile. He said there are wind turbines on his property near the crash site and they were obscured by the fog.

As the FAA filed it

PIPER AEROSTAR 601P CRASHED INTO A FIELD DUE TO UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES APPROXIATELY 13 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF THE KIT CARSON COUNTY AIRPORT (ITR). WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED BY A FARMER AT APPROXIMATELY 12:00 P.M. ON SATURDAY JULY 8, 2023. AIRCRAFT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE CRASHED ON THURSDAY JULY 6, 2023. AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THERE WAS A POST-CRASH FIRE. COUNTY SHERIFF AND CORONER WERE FIRST RESPONDERS; THEY REPORTED THE ACCIDENT TO THE NTSB WHO THEN RELAYED TO ROC. THE SHERIFF’S INITIAL ON-SITE SURVEY OBSERVED THAT THE DEBRIS FIELD FANNED OUT TOWARDS THE NORTH APPROXIMATELY 80-100 YARDS FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT. THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS APPROXIMATELY 60-70 YARDS WIDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY FRAGMENTED.

AT 1:30 PM ON THURSDAY JULY 6, 2023, THE AEROSTAR WAS SEEN TAKING OFF FROM ITR ON A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION BY A BONANZA PILOT WHO WAS PREPARING TO TAKEOFF. HE SAID THAT THE TAKEOFF AND CLIMBOUT APPEARED NORMAL. AIRPORT CAMERA FOOTAGE OF THE RAMP AND RUNWAY RECORDED THE TAKEOFF AT 1:30 P.M.

PRIOR TO DEPARTING, THE ACCIDENT PILOT AND THE BONANZA PILOT WERE CONVERSING IN THE FBO LOUNGE AREA AWAITING THE FOG TO CLEAR; WEATHER AT THE AIRPORT THAT MORNING WAS OVERCAST, RAINY, AND FOGGY AND FORECAST TO START CLEARING AT 2:00 P.M. THE AEROSTAR PILOT STATED HE WAS GOING ABOUT AS FAR WEST AS HE CAN AND THAT HIS DESTINATION WAS CALIFORNIA. HE ALSO SAID THAT AIRCRAFT GPS PROBLEMS WOULD PREVENT HIM FROM FLYING IFR AND HE WOULD HAVE TO FLY VFR. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF A FLIGHT PLAN BEING FILED. THIS CONVERSATION WAS CONFIRMED BY AIRPORT CAMERA RECORDING OF THE FBO LOUNGE AREA ON JULY 6, 2023, FROM 11:00 TO 11:15 A.M.

THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY AT THE CRASH SITE SAID HE LIVED APPROXIMATELY A MILE SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT AND OPERATED A SHOP APPROXIMATELY A MILE NORTHWEST OF THE CRASH SITE. HE TRAVELED BACK AND FORTH ON THE DAY OF THE CRASH BETWEEN 12:00 P.M. AND 4:00 P.M. HE SAID THE WEATHER NEAR THE AIRPORT SEEMED TO BE CLEARING, BUT THE FOG AT HIS SHOP WAS THICK AND VISIBILITY WAS LESS THAN A MILE. HE SAID THERE ARE WIND TURBINES ON HIS PROPERTY NEAR THE CRASH SITE AND THEY WERE OBSCURED BY THE FOG.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB CEN23FA285Accident · 1 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportBurlington, COThe pilot’s visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control in flight and subsequent impact with terrain.Jul 6, 2023 · Destroyed