- Date
- January 17, 1990, 07:19 local (14:19 UTC)
- Place
- Leadville, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N835FECessna 208A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900117000689A
- Case key
- 17816
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Diversion of the pilot's attention, resulting in an in flight collision with terrain during normal cruise flight.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Pm air flt 824, a federal express scheduled domestic cargo flt, departed denver, CO, at 0642, IFR to montrose, CO. Flt was cleared to FL 180, but plt cancelled IFR at 0653. Radar showed acft leveled off at 14,500 ft on sw heading. Acft maintained relative constant alt and heading before crashing 50 ft below summit of 14,221-FT mt massive, second tallest peak in co, at aprx 0719. Wx was cavu. Toxicological tests revealed marijuana metabolite level of 37 ng/ml in urine and 1 ng/ml in blood. Plt was once convicted in 1974 for possession of controlled substance, but had no other alcohol/drug convictions. Evidence indicates plt obtained adequate sleep prior to flt. During autopsy, two pages from airmen's information manual were found clutched in plt's hands.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N835FE
- Reported as
- Cessna 208A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20800091
- Airframe hours
- 2,368
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-114, 600 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- P.M. Air, Inc., doing business as Federal Express
- Registered owner
- Federal Express Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 25, 1989 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Destination
- MTJ · Montrose, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 25 in this make and model · 2,600 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 16 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ASE, 18 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.