- Date
- February 7, 1991, 17:00 local (Feb 8, 1991, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Snowmass, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8510PPiper PA-24-400
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910207001919A
- Case key
- 18012
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
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper altitude in mountainous terrain.
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
The two airpline pilots told friends they were going sightseeing. When they failed to return as planned, a search was begun. The wreckage was found 3 days later. The airplane had been flying up the west side of a mountain pass when it struck a tree and impacted deep snow at about the 11,200 foot level. Autopsies indicated both pilots survived the impact. One of the pilots attempted to seek help. His body was found one mile from the wreckage. The aircraft was not equipped with first aid or survival gear. There was no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure/malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8510P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-400
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-90
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-A1A, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Brian Balarzs/Lester Beauchamp, doing business as Hot Seat Aviation
- Registered owner
- Brian Balarzs/Lester Beauchamp
- Departed
- ASE · Aspen, CO
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 12 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- ASE, 8 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.