N702H

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 22, 2014, at 1400 mountain daylight time, a Socata TBM 700, N702H, impacted the Ridgway Reservoir, Ridgway, Colorado. The airplane came to rest in about 60 feet of water. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Gadsden Aviation LLC and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the destination airport. The flight was operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight originated from the Bartlesville Municipal Airport (BVO), Bartlesville, Oklahoma, about 1111. The intended destination was the Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), Montrose, Colorado.At 0622 on the morning of the accident, the pilot accessed the Direct User Access Terminal Service (DUATS) and obtained a weather briefing for the route of flight from the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD), Gadsden, Alabama, to BVO. An IFR flight plan for that route of flight was subsequently filed. The accident pilot was listed as the pilot-in-command.

Tracking data indicated that the airplane subsequently departed GAD about 0739 and arrived at BVO about 1001. Personnel at the fixed base operator (FBO) located at BVO reported that upon arrival, the pilot requested that the airplane be topped off with fuel and that a ground power unit be made available for engine start. They noted that the pilot and passengers came into the FBO to eat lunch. At 1038, the pilot again accessed DUATS and obtained a weather briefing for the route of flight from BVO to MTJ. An IFR flight plan was subsequently filed for that route of flight. That flight plan also listed the accident pilot as the pilot-in-command. The FBO personnel stated that the pilot and passengers re-boarded the airplane after their lunch. The subsequent engine start up, taxi and takeoff appeared normal. Nothing with respect to the airplane or the pilot seemed out of the ordinary, nor did they have any concerns regarding the flight.

At 1111, the pilot contacted the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and informed the controller that the flight had departed BVO and requested an IFR clearance to MTJ. The accident flight was subsequently radar identified and cleared direct to MTJ at an ultimate cruising altitude of 26,000 feet pressure altitude (FL260).

About 1233, control of the flight was transferred to the Denver ARTCC. At 1330, the controller advised the pilot to expect the RNAV(GPS) Rwy 35 approach at MTJ. At 1341, the controller instructed the pilot to descend to and maintain 17,000 feet mean sea level (msl). This was amended to 16,000 feet msl four minutes later. At 1348, the pilot was instructed to maintain 16,000 feet msl until reaching the YARUB navigation fix, an initial approach fix for the MTJ RNAV (GPS) Rwy 35 approach procedure. The pilot was also cleared for the approach at that time. At 1358, the pilot was released to change to the airport advisory frequency. At 1400:34 (hhmm:ss), the pilot transmitted, "spin I'm trying to get out of here." No further communications were received from the accident flight.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control (ATC) radar track data depicted the airplane proceeding on a west course at 15,800 feet as it approached MTJ. The airplane passed the YARUB initial approach fix about 1356:59. About 23 seconds later, the airplane began a descent. The track data indicated that the airplane became established on the initial approach segment between YARUB and COQKU. The minimum altitude for this approach segment was 12,000 feet msl. At COQKU, the approach procedure required pilots to turn right and track a magnetic course of 328 degrees. The minimum altitude for that approach segment was 9,900 feet msl.

At 1358:58, the airplane was located about 1.7 nm east-northeast of COQKU at an altitude of 14,400 feet msl. At 1359:10, the airplane was about 1.14 nm east-northeast of COQKU at an altitude of 13,600 feet msl. About that time, the airplane entered a right turn and proceeded northbound about 1.4 miles. At 1359:34 and 1359:46, the corresponding Mode C altitudes were 12,200 feet and 12,500 feet, respectively. The airplane subsequently entered a second right turn, tracking eastbound for about 0.85 mile. The final three data points were each located within 505 feet (0.08 mile) laterally of each other and of the approximate location of the accident site. The data point recorded at 1400:10 did not have Mode C altitude data associated with it. At 1400:22, the associated Mode C altitude was 10,100 feet. The final data point was recorded at 1400:34, with an associated Mode C altitude of 8,700 feet.

U. S. Department of the Interior / Bureau of Reclamation data indicated that the elevation of the Ridgway Reservoir was about 6,870 feet on the day of the accident.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land airplane and instrument airplane ratings. He was issued a third class airman medical certificate with a limitation for corrective lenses on February 12, 2014.

The pilot's logbook, denoted logbook number "02," was reviewed by the NTSB. The initial entry in this logbook was dated March 24, 2012, and the final entry was dated January 4, 2014. According to this logbook, the pilot had accumulated a total flight time of about 908 hours in single-engine land airplanes, 839 hours as pilot-in-command, 211 hours dual instruction received, 71 hours actual instrument, 46 hours simulated instrument, and 133 hours night flight time.

The logbook included two entries attributable to the accident airplane, dated January 3 and 4, 2014, totaling 8.6 hours. These were also the only entries attributable to the same make and model aircraft as the accident airplane. These entries included a notation for one instrument landing system (ILS) approach. The logbook included flight review and instrument proficiency check endorsements dated January 4, 2014. The logbook also included an endorsement for high-altitude, pressurized airplane training as required by 14 CFR 61.31(g). According to the logbook endorsements, both the instrument proficiency check and the pressurized airplane endorsements were completed in a TBM 700 airplane. The logbook also included an entry for 12 hours of ground instruction covering TBM 700 systems and high altitude operations.

Data obtained from a commercial flight tracking company indicated that a total of 12 flights related to the accident airplane were on file between December 27, 2013, and March 22, 2014. These flights totaled 28 hours and 2 minutes of flight time. However, no information regarding the pilot-in-command, any fight plan filed, or the flight conditions, was associated with the data.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a 1996 Socata TBM 700, serial number 112. It was a six-place, single-engine airplane, with a pressurized cabin and a retractable tricycle landing gear configuration. The airplane was equipped with an ice protection system and was approved for flight into known icing conditions, with the exception of severe icing conditions.

The airplane was powered by a 700 shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64 turbo-propeller engine, serial number 111098, and a 4-blade, constant speed (adjustable pitch) Hartzell model HC-E4N-3/E9083SK propeller assembly. The accident airplane was issued an FAA normal category, standard airworthiness certificate in December 1996. The accident owner, Gadsden Aviation, LLC, purchased the airplane on December 30, 2013. The accident pilot signed the registration application as an authorized member of Gadsden Aviation.

According to the airplane maintenance records, the most recent annual inspection was completed on November 21, 2013. At the time of that inspection, the airframe total time was 4,785.1 hours, with a total of 3,593 cycles. The recording hour (Hobbs) meter reportedly indicated 4,334.1 hours. The engine had accumulated 4,785.1 hours, with 2,806.4 hours and 1,235.1 hours since the most recent overhaul and the most recent hot section inspection, respectively.

A subsequent maintenance record entry, dated December 30, 2013, which corresponded to the most recent sale date for the airplane, indicated that the logbooks were reviewed in accordance with the customer's request. In addition, a walk-around inspection was completed at that time, with no findings noted. The maintenance record contained no further entries.

The recording hour (Hobbs) meter indicated 4,397.6 hours at the time of the postaccident examination. This is consistent with the airplane accumulating 63.5 hours since the annual inspection.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Weather conditions recorded by the MTJ Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), located about 19 miles north-northwest of the accident site, at 1353, were: wind from 210 degrees at 9 knots; few clouds at 1,500 feet above ground level (agl), broken clouds at 3,000 feet agl, overcast clouds at 3,900 feet agl; 10 miles visibility with light rain; temperature 5 degrees Celsius; dew point 2 degrees Celsius; and altimeter 30.10 inches of mercury.

The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for KMTJ issued at 1134 and current at the time of the accident, was: wind from 270° at 11 knots, visibility of greater than 6 statute miles, showers between 5 and 10 miles from the airport, ceiling broken at 5,000 feet agl, overcast clouds at 10,000 feet agl. Temporary conditions between 1400 and 1600 were: visibility six statute miles, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 3,000 agl, ceiling broken at 4,000 feet agl.

An area forecast covering Colorado was issued at 1345. For the mountainous areas of Colorado, the forecast included broken cloud bases at 12,000 feet msl, with tops to 16,000 feet msl. Occasional visibilities between 3 and 5 mil...