LA VETA, CO, USA
N53049
CESSNA 177RG
THE PILOT ENTERED 9,380-FOOT LA VETA PASS AT 8,000 FEET MSL. HE SAID HE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE AND DOWNDRAFTS AS HE APPROACHED THE SUMMIT, AND THE AIRPLANE 'COULDN'T GENERATE ANY LIFT' AND STALLED. MOMENTS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, ANOTHER PILOT REPORTED OCCASIONAL MODERATE TO EXTREME TURBULENCE IN THE VICINITY.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 1, 1994, approximately 1224 mountain standard time, a Cessna 177RG, N53049, was destroyed when it struck trees near the top of 9,380-foot La Veta Pass, about 11 miles northwest of La Veta, Colorado. The pilot and one passenger were seriously injured, two passengers received minor injuries, and another passenger was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The following is based on the Pilot/Operator report and a telephone interview with the pilot. According to the weather briefing he obtained prior to departure, only light to moderate turbulence around the Broomfield area was forecast. As the airplane passed Pueblo, Colorado, the Denver Automated Flight Service Station advised the pilot of "light chop" in the area. The flight was uneventful until they entered La Veta Pass at 8000 feet. Approaching the summit, they encountered turbulence and downdrafts. He said the airplane "couldn't generate any lift" and stalled. The airplane struck aspen trees and travelled approximately 100 feet on a magnetic heading of 265 degrees before coming to rest in an inverted attitude. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION At 1220, a Beech 35 pilot, flying at 12,500 feet MSL, filed a pilot report (PIREP), in which he reported light turbulence and altocumulus standing lenticular clouds northwest of La Veta Pass. Ten minutes later, the pilot filed another PIREP, reporting occasional moderate turbulence and 1500 feet per minute up and downdrafts west of the pass. At 1259, the pilot filed a third PIREP, reporting extreme turbulence, and noted he was "almost turned upside down" southeast of La Veta Pass in the Sangre de Cristos mountain range. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The wreckage was released to the owner's representative on January 2, 1994.
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISION TO ENTER A MOUNTAIN PASS AT AN INADEQUATE ALTITUDE, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT'S CLIMB PERFORMANCE TO BE EXCEEDED. FACTORS WERE TURBULENCE AND DOWNDRAFTS.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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