- Date
- August 10, 1991, 06:40 local (12:40 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Spring, CO
- Injuries
- 5 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N44641Piper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910810033269A
- Case key
- 18030
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 exceeded weight and balance limitations. Factors were: high density altitude and unsuitable 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 commercial rated pilot and his five passengers departed Colorado springs, Colorado, on a proposed cross country flight to Alabama. The aircraft was observed to climb to 150 feet very slowly and then level off. The pilot said in a postaccident interview that the aircraft would not climb or accelerate normally. He said as the airspeed deteriorated, he was forced to make an emergency landing to unsuitable terrain. The investigation revealed the aircraft was 311 pounds over maximum allowable gross weight. Density altitude was 7,500 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44641
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7440165
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIA5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John J. Wilda, doing business as Rocky Mountain Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- John J. Wilda
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- 2A3 · Bessemer, AL
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
- 55
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 100 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N44641 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.