What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 01/07/2024 at 13:25 the search team met in dolores, CO. They traveled to the residence of privacy data omitted to do a welfare check on the report of two individuals who were
Overdue on a return flight back to Cortez, CO. Their aircraft privacy data omitted is a fabric covered two seat aircraft constructed as a Just Aircraft Highla.
When they arrived at the residence, there was no one at the house and their airplane was not parked in the area. The team continued to investigate the airstrip which is approximately 1,800 feet in length as well as the road that continues approximately 660 feet beyond the west end of the airstrip. At the end of the road, was where the aircraft wreckage was located on the south side of their private road extending west beyond the airstrip and through a three-strand barbed wire fence. GPS location of the crash site was at approximately 37.52722- -108.52539.
The aircraft sustained extensive damage from impacting the ground resulting in a post-crash fire that burned all the fabric and interior parts that were flammable. Burnt parts of the engine cowling were found in the wreckage trailing up to the final location of the aircraft indicating there may have been an inflight fire. Both occupants were located by the assistant coroner within the wreckage where the seats would have been attached.
The forward portion of the fuselage had been crushed back by the impact with the engine broken off but still located forward of the occupants next to an embankment. The gear reduction drive was still attached to the three-blade composite prop. The gear reduction drive and propellers had been broken off of the engine upon the initial impact which was located about 15 feet behind the engine they were unburned. The composite props were intact but were broken structurally and the barbed wire fence was wrapped approximately two revolutions around the root of one of the blades.
There was about 4 inches of new snow that was covering the wreckage. It appears that the engine was not making full power when it impacted the ground shortly after taking off from the airstrip. It appears that the right-wing hit.
The fence and the ground first which folded the right landing gear under the aircraft. The left landing gear was still attached to the fuselage with the tire still intact and only slightly burned. The right wing was swept back to the rear of the aircraft while the left wing was swept forward of the aircraft. The angle the aircraft struck the ground could not be determined because of the new snow covering the ground scarring.
As the FAA filed it
ON 01/07/2024 AT 13:25 THE SEARCH TEAM MET IN DOLORES, CO. THEY TRAVELED TO THE RESIDENCE OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO DO A WELFARE CHECK ON THE REPORT OF TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE
OVERDUE ON A RETURN FLIGHT BACK TO CORTEZ, CO. THEIR AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IS A FABRIC COVERED TWO SEAT AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTED AS A JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA.
WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE RESIDENCE, THERE WAS NO ONE AT THE HOUSE AND THEIR AIRPLANE WAS NOT PARKED IN THE AREA. THE TEAM CONTINUED TO INVESTIGATE THE AIRSTRIP WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 1,800 FEET IN LENGTH AS WELL AS THE ROAD THAT CONTINUES APPROXIMATELY 660 FEET BEYOND THE WEST END OF THE AIRSTRIP. AT THE END OF THE ROAD, WAS WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THEIR PRIVATE ROAD EXTENDING WEST BEYOND THE AIRSTRIP AND THROUGH A THREE-STRAND BARBED WIRE FENCE. GPS LOCATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 37.52722- -108.52539.
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM IMPACTING THE GROUND RESULTING IN A POST-CRASH FIRE THAT BURNED ALL THE FABRIC AND INTERIOR PARTS THAT WERE FLAMMABLE. BURNT PARTS OF THE ENGINE COWLING WERE FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE TRAILING UP TO THE FINAL LOCATION OF THE AIRCRAFT INDICATING THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN INFLIGHT FIRE. BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE LOCATED BY THE ASSISTANT CORONER WITHIN THE WRECKAGE WHERE THE SEATS WOULD HAVE BEEN ATTACHED.
THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE FUSELAGE HAD BEEN CRUSHED BACK BY THE IMPACT WITH THE ENGINE BROKEN OFF BUT STILL LOCATED FORWARD OF THE OCCUPANTS NEXT TO AN EMBANKMENT. THE GEAR REDUCTION DRIVE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE THREE-BLADE COMPOSITE PROP. THE GEAR REDUCTION DRIVE AND PROPELLERS HAD BEEN BROKEN OFF OF THE ENGINE UPON THE INITIAL IMPACT WHICH WAS LOCATED ABOUT 15 FEET BEHIND THE ENGINE THEY WERE UNBURNED. THE COMPOSITE PROPS WERE INTACT BUT WERE BROKEN STRUCTURALLY AND THE BARBED WIRE FENCE WAS WRAPPED APPROXIMATELY TWO REVOLUTIONS AROUND THE ROOT OF ONE OF THE BLADES.
THERE WAS ABOUT 4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW THAT WAS COVERING THE WRECKAGE. IT APPEARS THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT MAKING FULL POWER WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM THE AIRSTRIP. IT APPEARS THAT THE RIGHT-WING HIT.
THE FENCE AND THE GROUND FIRST WHICH FOLDED THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR UNDER THE AIRCRAFT. THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE WITH THE TIRE STILL INTACT AND ONLY SLIGHTLY BURNED. THE RIGHT WING WAS SWEPT BACK TO THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT WHILE THE LEFT WING WAS SWEPT FORWARD OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE ANGLE THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND COULD NOT BE DETERMINED BECAUSE OF THE NEW SNOW COVERING THE GROUND SCARRING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.