N3509M

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 9, 2014, about 1200 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA 28R-201 airplane, N3509M, impacted mountainous terrain southeast of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to VSP Aviators LLC and operated by Journeys Aviation Flying Club under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed. The cross country flight originated from the Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS), Steamboat Springs, Colorado, about 1145 and was en route to the Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU), Boulder, Colorado.

An Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued at 1720 when the flight was overdue. A search for the airplane was initiated and the wreckage was located at 2146 in a mountain valley about 12 miles southeast of SBS.

Email correspondence between the private pilot and the flight instructor revealed that the intended route of flight for the day was from BDU, to Eagle, Colorado (EGE), to Glenwood Springs, Colorado (GWS), to EGE, to SBS, and terminating at BDU. The flight instructor was providing instruction to the private pilot to complete a mountain flying training course. The final leg of the flight was intended to start at SBS, continue over Milner Pass and finish at BDU; the exact route of flight was not discussed.

According to local pilots, when flying over the mountains from SBS, a popular place to fly over is Rabbit Ears Pass because of the landmarks and the highway below. There was a second mountain pass south of Rabbit Ears Pass which did not follow a highway. The main wreckage was found near the second mountain pass about 5 miles southwest of Rabbit Ears Pass and about 2 miles south of the highway. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe flight instructor, age 62, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single engine, multi-engine land and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate for single engine, multi-engine and instrument airplane. On November 30, 2012, the instructor was issued a limited second class medical certificate with the limitation to wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. At the time of the medical certificate application he reported his flight experience as 3,310 total hours and 800 hours in six months preceding the examination. The pilot's total flight time was estimated to be 4,000 hours.

The pilot under instruction, age 60, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. On October 31, 2013, the pilot was issued a third class medical certificate without waivers or limitations. At the time of the medical certificate application he reported his flight experience as 73 total hours and 0 hours in the six months preceding the examination. According to the pilot's logbook, he had accumulated about 134 total hours and about 32 in the accident airplane make and model. He had logged 19 total hours in the last 30 days, 16 of which were in the accident airplane make and model. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe Piper PA 28R-201 was a low wing, four place, retractable landing gear airplane manufactured in 1978. The airplane was powered by a 200-horsepower, normally aspirated, fuel injected Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 engine, which drove a two bladed constant speed McCauley propeller.

On May 21, 2014, at a tachometer time of 4,315.1 hours and an aircraft total time of 4,315.1 hours, a 100 hour/annual inspection was completed for the airframe and the airplane was returned to service.

On August 7, 2014, at a tachometer time of 4,413.99 hours and 1,585.29 hours since last major overhaul, a 100 hour/annual inspection was completed for the engine and the airplane was returned to service.

The investigation did not reveal any evidence of the airplane being refueled at SBS. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONAt 1154, the automated weather report at SBS, 12 miles northwest of the accident site, reported wind from 210 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 68°F, dew point 46°F, and altimeter setting 30.32 inches of mercury.

The private pilot received standard weather briefings from ForeFlight for each leg of the trip. The final leg was planned for a cruise altitude of 12,500 feet and a cruise speed of 135 knots.

Calculations of the above meteorological data for the accident flight revealed that the density altitude was about 11,200 feet near the accident location. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe Piper PA 28R-201 was a low wing, four place, retractable landing gear airplane manufactured in 1978. The airplane was powered by a 200-horsepower, normally aspirated, fuel injected Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 engine, which drove a two bladed constant speed McCauley propeller.

On May 21, 2014, at a tachometer time of 4,315.1 hours and an aircraft total time of 4,315.1 hours, a 100 hour/annual inspection was completed for the airframe and the airplane was returned to service.

On August 7, 2014, at a tachometer time of 4,413.99 hours and 1,585.29 hours since last major overhaul, a 100 hour/annual inspection was completed for the engine and the airplane was returned to service.

The investigation did not reveal any evidence of the airplane being refueled at SBS. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONExamination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted trees and mountainous terrain about 12 miles southeast of SBS at an elevation of 9,100 feet above mean sea level (msl). The initial point of impact was identified by a pair of damaged tree tops on the edge of an open grassy field on the mountainside. A 120 yard path with several damaged trees was identified on a heading of 240 degrees. A large impact crater was noted 105 yards from the initial tree strike. The fuselage came to rest 15 yards southwest of the impact crater on its right side and was oriented on a heading of 350 degrees.

The left and right wings separated from the fuselage and came to rest in the debris path. The outboard section of the left wing was separated near the initial tree strike. The leading edge contained two distinct leading edge circular impact impressions. The left aileron had separated near mid span. The inboard section of the left wing was found 75 yards through the debris path and exhibited signs of thermal damage; the respective landing gear remained attached to the wing and was fully extended.

The outboard section of the right wing was also found near the initial tree strike and contained a large leading edge circular impact impression. The inboard section was found separated from the fuselage and near the initial tree impact area. The landing gear remained attached to the wing and was extended about 45 degrees.

The top of the fuselage was fractured near the cockpit; the first responders further opened the top of the fuselage to allow access during rescue operations. The empennage remained partially attached to the rear fuselage. The stabilator was twisted and bent upward 90 degrees. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were deformed and fractured near the rear fuselage.

The engine and propeller remained partially attached to and situated under the fuselage. The propeller nose cone was oriented on a heading of 180 degrees.

A postaccident examination of the wreckage was completed by the NTSB investigator-in-charge and a representative from Lycoming Engines, at Beegles Aircraft Service, Greeley, Colorado on October 15, 2014. The examination revealed the following:

The engine was separated from the firewall and hung from an engine hoist for the examination. The propeller was removed and the blades were labeled Blade A and Blade B for identification purposes only. Blade A was bent slightly aft with minor leading edge damage. Blade B was bent 90 degrees aft with leading edge damage, the blade tip was twisted and a portion was missing from the trailing edge. The fuel pump, vacuum pump, magnetos, valve covers and top spark plugs were removed. The spark plugs appeared normal as compared to the Champion Aviation Check-a-Plug Chart AV-27. The crankshaft was rotated by hand and suction and compression was established on all cylinders. Engine drive train continuity was established throughout. The cylinders were examined with a lighted borescope and no anomalies were noted. Engine control continuity was confirmed throughout. The left magneto was rotated by hand and produced a spark at each lead. The right magneto was rotated by hand and no spark was observed from any lead. The magneto was disassembled and no visual damage was observed. The right magneto was sent to Continental Motors' analytical department for examination and a bench test. The magneto was reassembled and the contact points were cleaned. With a slave harness attached the magneto produced a spark at each lead. The magneto wobbled slightly during the test; the discrepancy was attributed to impact damage. The oil pick up screen was found free of contamination. The fuel servo exhibited no signs of visual damage. The fuel servo brass plug was found tight and secured. The fuel inlet screen was found clear of contaminants. The fuel flow divider was found clear of contaminants and the diaphragm was intact and in good condition. The fuel injectors were found clear unobstructed. The engine driven fuel pump discharged fuel when operated by hand. The examination revealed no evidence of any pre-impact engine anomalies.

The rudder and stabilator control cables were cut near the cockpit area during the on scene recovery. The rudder cable was found pulled from the rear ball end and was continuous to the cockpit area. The rudder cable was continuous from the rudder pedal attach points to the cockpit area. The stabilator control cable was continuous from the flight controls to the cockpit area and also continuous from the cockpit to the stabilator attach points. The stabilator trim cable was separa...