Piper PA-31T N360LL
25 January 2003 · Denver, Colorado, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 25 January 2003 at about 00:21 local time, a Piper PA-31T registered N360LL was involved in an accident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 11 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:21
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.7667, -105.0500
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T
- Registration
- N360LL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Broomfield → Englewood
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- DEN03MA035
People
5 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Both pilots' inadequate visual lookout. A contributing factor was the Cheyenne pilot operating the airplane with a known transponder deficiency.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A Piper PA-31T "Cheyenne" and a Cessna 172P "Skyhawk" collided in midair during cruise flight at dusk and in visual meteorological conditions. The Cheyenne departed under visual flight rules (VFR) from a local airport northwest of Denver, and was proceeding direct at 7,800 feet to another local airport south of Denver. Radar indicated its ground speed was 230 knots. Its altitude encoder was transmitting intermittently. The Skyhawk departed VFR from the south airport and was en route to Cheyenne, Wyoming, at 7,300 feet. The pilot requested and was cleared to climb to 8,500 feet and penetrate class B airspace. Radar indicated its ground speed was 110 knots. The Skyhawk was flying in the suggested "VFR flyway"; the Cheyenne was not. When the controller observed the two airplanes converging, he asked the pilot of the Cheyenne for his altitude. He replied he was at 7,600 feet. The controller immediately issued a traffic advisory, but the pilot did not acknowledge. Both airplanes departed controlled flight: the Skyhawk struck a house, and the Cheyenne fell inverted into the backyard of a residence. Wreckage was scattered over a 24 square block area in west Denver. At the time of the accident, the controller was handling low altitude en route, arrival and departure traffic for both airports. Wreckage examination disclosed four slashes, consistent with propeller strikes, on top of the Cheyenne's right engine nacelle, the cabin above the right wing trailing edge, the empennage at the root of the dorsal fin, and at the tail cone. The Cheyenne was on a similar flight three days before the collision when the pilot was informed by air traffic control that the transponder was operating intermittently. According to recorded radar and voice communications from that flight, the transponder/encoder operated intermittently and the pilot was so advised. Examination of the Cheyenne's altimeter/encoder revealed a cold solder connection on pin 8 of the 15-pin altimeter connector. When the wire was resoldered to the pin, the information from the altimeters, encoder, and altitude serializer was normal.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-31T | N360LL | - | Destroyed |
| Cessna 172P | N52241 | - | Destroyed |
Other Piper PA-31T accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Feb 2002 | Piper PA-31T | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Oct 2002 | Piper PA-31T | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Jan 2004 | Piper PA-31T | Toussus Le Nobl, France | Oracam Ltd. | Fatal | 3 |
| 28 Jul 2004 | Piper PA-31T | Benalla, Australia | - | Fatal | 6 |
| 4 May 2005 | Piper PA-31T | Bismarck, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 2007 | Piper PA-31T | Rieschweiler, Germany | BHS Direct Inc., Trustee | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Beechcraft S35 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Peter J. Vercouteren | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Erie, Colorado, United States | Specialty Flight Training, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft E-90 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |