Plane Crash List

Piper PA-23-250 N6935Y

14 January 2002 · Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States · Minor injuries

Summary

On 14 January 2002 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N6935Y was involved in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 18:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States
Coordinates
37.2444, -107.0625
Aircraft
Piper PA-23-250
Registration
N6935Y
Category
Airplane
Engines
2
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Pagosa Springs → Santa Fe
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
DEN02LA018

People

4 people had minor injuries.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
4 0 0 4 0

Probable cause

the total power failure of the right engine due to the failure of its lubricating system. Contributing factors were the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing, and the terrain being above the airplane's single engine performance capability.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that both engines developed good power during the takeoff roll. After climbing to 8,400 feet, the right engine started missing badly and blue smoke was observed coming from the inboard side of the engine cowling. The pilot said that he shut the engine down, and turned back towards the airport. He decided to restart the right engine, but the engine seized up approximately 20 seconds after he restarted it. He performed a forced landing to a small field on a heavy forested ridge approximately 2 miles south of the airport. Both wings were bent, and the fuselage was wrinkled. The airplane's Pilot Owners Handbook indicates that the airplane's single engine absolute ceiling is 6,400 feet. The salvage/recovery team reported that they found excessive oil on and around the right engine nacelle. The exact cause of the oil system failure was never determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-23 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
18 Mar 2002 Piper PA-23-250
CG-BGP
Androstown, Bahamas Yergan Williamson Serious injuries -
17 Nov 2002 Piper PA-23-250
LV-HJE
San Carlos, Argentina - Fatal 7
23 Nov 2002 Piper PA-23-250
N5985Y
Stalwart, Michigan, United States - No injuries -
2 Apr 2002 Piper PA-23-250
N91FK
Palm Bay, Florida, United States George J. Apostle Fatal 1
13 Dec 2002 Piper PA-23-250
N6568Y
Freeport, Bahamas Bonheur Inc Fatal 2
8 Jun 2002 Piper PA-23-160
N4302P
Rio Rico, Arizona, United States - Fatal 3

All 1,716 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
10 Jun 2002 Beechcraft 58P
N123Z
Grand Junction, Colorado, United States - No injuries -
9 Aug 2002 Cessna 310N
N111KC
Grand Junction, Colorado, United States - No injuries -
4 Nov 2002 Mooney M20E
N9288M
Broomfield, Colorado, United States - No injuries -
11 Jan 2002 McDonnell Douglas MD 902
N902AM
Aurora, Colorado, United States MD Helicopters No injuries -
13 Jan 2002 Maule M-5-235C
N382X
Grand Junction, Colorado, United States - No injuries -
6 Nov 2002 Piper PA-28RT
N2904C
Grand Junction, Colorado, United States - No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States