Piper PA-28R-200 N6227J

Summary

On 24 September 2002 at about 02:15 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N6227J was involved in an accident near Chromo, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 September 2002 at 02:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Chromo, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

37.1011, -106.7397

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-200

Registration

N6227J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farmington → Denver

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

FTW02FA262

2 people died.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain clearance with the mountainous terrain during the cross-country flight. A contributing factor was the dark night light conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

In dark night visual conditions, the airplane impacted the heavily wooded mountainous terrain, at an elevation of 11,100 feet. On the morning of the accident flight, the private pilot and flight instructor purchased the airplane through an aviation brokerage company. Due to the some unexpected financing problems, the flight instructor and private pilot, who was receiving a checkout flight, departed the airport approximately 4.5 hours later than originally planned. While at an intermediate fuel stop, one of the pilots obtained an updated weather briefing from a flight service station. Shortly after departure from the airport, the pilots requested flight following from air traffic control to their planned destination. The last radar contact with the accident airplane was approximately 45 minutes after departure, at an altitude of 10,700 feet. The wreckage energy path measured approximately 75 feet in length on a measured magnetic heading of 060 degrees. The airplane came to rest upright on a estimated 60-degree slope, and the fuselage displayed forward to aft accordion type crush damage. During the examination of the wreckage, no aircraft or engine anomalies were noted that would have prevented normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.