- Date
- October 30, 1991, 14:27 local (21:27 UTC)
- Place
- Ellicott, CO
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6815PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911030048239A
- Case key
- 18178
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
A power loss for undetermined reasons, the pilot's poorly planned approach, and excessive airspeed. Factors were: the pilot's intentional flight into IMC, accumulation of wing ice and his becoming lost disoriented.
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 pilot elected to return to the departure airport after he observed ice on the wing. He became disoriented and was unable to locate the airport. He elected to make a precautionary landing on a road. On the downwind leg, the engine lost power. The airplane touched down on the road at 120 mph and the landing gear collapsed. The airplane slid through a fence before coming to a halt. The pilot was not instrument rated and his medical certificate had expired. The pilot, who is also an aircraft mechanic, said he was unable to determine the cause of the power loss but suspected the airplane had been tampered with by person(s) he refused to name.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6815P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1948
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Southwest Aircraft Recovery
- Registered owner
- Southwest Aircraft Recovery
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CO05 · Ellicott, CO
- Destination
- P10 · Chandler, AZ
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Flight hours
- 350 total · 25 in this make and model · 350 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Observed at
- COS, 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.