CEN13LA166

A law enforcement officer observed the airplane in the airport traffic pattern just after sunset. The officer continued to monitor the movements of the airplane as it flew around the airport and returned to land. After losing sight of the airplane for a moment, the officer observed the airplane in a nose-down attitude on the runway and on fire. According to the pilot’s initial statement, he was flying the final leg of the traffic pattern when the airplane stalled about 10 feet above the runway. The airplane impacted the runway and then caught fire. In a subsequent statement provided by the pilot, he stated that at 10 feet above the ground everything was normal but then the airplane suddenly nosed down and crashed. Such an abrupt loss of altitude is consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was taken to the local sheriff’s office where he underwent a breath alcohol test. The reported value was .078 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit any person from acting or attempting to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft while having 0.040 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. The level of ethanol measured in this case would have significantly impaired the pilot’s performance.

On February 16, 2013, about 1802 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172, N6199E, impacted the runway while landing at Colorado Plains Regional Airport (KAKO), Akron, CO. The private pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was destroyed due to impact damage and post-impact fire damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from KAKO at an undetermined time. At 1750, a sergeant with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was on patrol near KAKO, observed the accident airplane flying, and continued to watch as the pilot flew around the traffic pattern. The sergeant saw the airplane descending and then lost sight of it due to trees obstructing his line of sight. When the sergeant saw the airplane again it was nose down on the runway, nose landing gear collapsed, and on fire. The sergeant drove to the accident site and met the pilot and passenger. The pilot stated to the sergeant that he “had come in at the wrong angle, stalled it, and nosed it in.” The sergeant also noticed an odor of alcohol on the pilot’s breath. A lieutenant with the Washington County Sheriff’s office was also on scene and discovered several beer cans under the airplanes wing and near the accident site. The lieutenant also noticed a strong odor of an “intoxicating beverage” on the pilot’s breath, his eyes were blood shot, he was having problems walking and his speech was slightly slurred. When he asked the pilot if he had been drinking in the plane he answered “no.” The pilot stated that he and the passenger purchased a twelve pack of beer but did not consume any. The pilot and passenger were taken to the Sheriff’s office to submit written statements about the accident. The pilot stated that during landing he lost airspeed at about 10 feet above the ground, the nose fell down, impacted the runway, and collapsed underneath the airplane. The passenger stated that during landing the airplane stalled about 10 feet above the ground. At 1931 the pilot performed a breath alcohol test while at the Sheriff’s office. The test revealed that the pilot had 0.078 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit any person from acting or attempting to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft while having 0.040 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. The pilot provided a final statement, which stated that at 10 feet above the ground everything was normal but then the airplane suddenly nosed down and crashed. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.