Cessna 150 down in CO

Mike I

Mike I

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Two people were killed early Saturday in the crash of a Cessna 150 Adams County, an FAA official says.

The names of the victims have not been released.

The aircraft took off just after midnight from Front Range Airport in Adams County.

An FAA duty officer said that the aircraft is a small two seater.

Adams County Sheriff's Office is responding to the crash, in an open field near Imboden Road.
 
Sad. Two people in a C150 at 5,500 ft field elevation. Imboden Rd appears to be about a mile from the end of RWY 26.
 
Papa Foxtrot said:
Sad. Two people in a C150 at 5,500 ft field elevation. Imboden Rd appears to be about a mile from the end of RWY 26.
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For those of us who live & fly here, 5500 ground is our normal. No big deal. We learn from Day One how to manage weight,temps, fuel, leaning, etc. The owner of the airplane, if he was in the 150 and learned to fly out here. He has COMM and AGI but unknown if CFI.

Imboden road (N-S) is the west boundary of the airspace and the beginning of Class B surface for DIA. It's not practical to land on it due to the construction and telephone poles. All roads in the area have the same limitations. DIA (KDEN for aviation folks) is 5-6 nm NW of the airport. In the photo, the horizontal white thing just above the airplane is DIA's terminal. You can just barely make out the E-W line of high-voltage power lines along 56th Ave.

That being said, there's lots of empty space surrounding the airport. There's two small communities (SW and S) that are fairly easy to avoid with all the empty space. But due west of the airport there are multiple sets of N-S high-voltage power lines. One set is along Imboden Road just inside the FTG airspace - and it was a battle with the utility company to get lights & orange balls installed. As you come in on base for 08, you're just inside the lines. The next set of lines, again N-S, is about 2 miles west of that road, along another road.

I just spoke with the airport, none of the runways are shut down. It appears the airplane went down west of FTG, inside DIA's airspace.

Weather last night about midnight was odd - winds off and on where I live (about 20 nm sw of FTG), no moon, very little traffic at DIA that time of night. Temps in the 50s and a 150 with 2 people.

Due to the flat, sparse area, there's very little to see at night other than the traffic on I-70 (just south) but the lights of Denver and DIA are very obvious. I'm thinking if they took off on 26, the rule is to turn S until outside the first ring of DIA, then head west just south of I-70 to stay out of DIA airspace.

If they didn't make the turn (and at this time there's no indication that DIA gave permission to enter the airspace altho that time of night it's not unusual to get permission) and weren't high enough, they may have hit one of the set of power lines/towers. FTG airspace is 5500 (runway) to 7000 except for the tiny cutout on the south side where the circle ends and .... nevermind, go look on the DEN terminal and see the problem. Unless we're practicing IFR we stay at 6500 until outside the first ring of DEN even inside FTG airspace.
 
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Nice detail of the area Murphey - should help other folks understand the setting. If he was talking to approach, it shouldn't have taken until 7:30 to find the wreckage. Sun-up is early and that crash is easy to see in a wheat field if they knew where to look.

Then on to what we're all thinking - they hit hard. Low altitude stall on engine out?
 
RIP

Wow. There's nothing around in the pic. Seems like he could have set her down.

The article mentioned fog, maybe spatial disorientation?
 
So sad may they rest in peace. Article mentions fog in the area.
 
txflyer said:
RIP

Wow. There's nothing around in the pic. Seems like he could have set her down.

The article mentioned fog, maybe spatial disorientation?
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Makes more sense than losing engine and explains why they were in Bravo - distracted by IMC. Very tough, night VFR into IMC. Gotta be able to fly needle, ball, and airspeed and tough to stay proficient flying in Colorado.
 
Update -- had to go out to FTG late this afternoon to drop off stuff in the hangar. Spoke to the two sheriffs out there keeping people away. They didn't know anything about weather last night.

The location is 1/2 mile west of Imboden, about the same distance north of 56th. You can see the tail from the FBO at FTG. Which means...if he took off on 26, the location is north of the straight line out 26.

Conjecture - if he was planning to turn north (not unusual if staying in the pattern) then he may have gone too far west & into Class B before turning. Altho there are numerous high-voltage lines, the area is clear for about 3-4 miles N, W & S and even E if he stays north of the 26 runway. Ag land, no roads, grass/etc about 1-2 ft high depending on the area. Relatively flat land but not runway flat.

Gotta wait for the NTSB.
 
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murphey said:
Update -- had to go out to FTG late this afternoon to drop off stuff in the hangar. Spoke to the two sheriffs out there keeping people away. They didn't know anything about weather last night.

The location is 1/2 mile west of Imboden, about the same distance north of 56th. You can see the tail from the FBO at FTG. Which means...if he took off on 28, the location is north of the straight line out 26.

Conjecture - if he was planning to turn north (not unusual if staying in the pattern) then he may have gone too far west & into Class B before turning. Altho there are numerous high-voltage lines, the area is clear for about 3-4 miles N, W & S and even E if he stays north of the 26 runway. Ag land, no roads, grass/etc about 1-2 ft high depending on the area. Relatively flat land but not runway flat.

Gotta wait for the NTSB.
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Beegles will get some more business and scrap aluminum next week..:sad:
 
Sherriff's spokesperson said that the responding Sheriff's said they were in ... "dense fog" ... when they found the aircraft.

And another one dons at KLMO today. That's Boulder's Pawnee, the C150, and a Katana on the same weekend...

Pawnee lost power, tried to land on the soccer field, caught a fence on the main gear. Totaled. Pilot walked away. C-150 two fatalities. Katana, pilot lost power on takeoff and landed in a field near LMO. Tiny tail boom snapped off. Probably totaled.
 
Some additional details on the Longmont KLMO incident:
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/06/01/pilot-crash-lands-plane-in-longmont-no-injuries/

From The Associated Press:
LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) — The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office says a pilot escaped injury when he lost power of his small airplane and crash-landed in a field near the Longmont Municipal Airport.

Cmdr. Heidi Prentup says 74-year-old Harold Kosmerl of Longmont crashed during takeoff at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday. His single-engine airplane, a 1998 Katana Diamond, was heavily damaged when it crashed 300-400 yards from the runway.

Kosmerl was the only one on board at the time.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
--30--
 
News from Soaring Society of Boulder is that they're actually still assessing the Pawnee (translation: waiting on the insurance company to decide) to see if they'll rebuild it or buy another tow plane. They're down to only the Super Cub heading into Summer busy season. Bummer. Prior to the Pawnee doing a brick imitation, they were looking for tow pilots.
 
Oh man! Got to work this morning and one of my developers said his friend died in a plane crash. This was it. It was one of his best friends. :(
 
He says he started working on his PPL in 2009
Had Instrument and Commercial ratings.
His recollection was that he flew 2-3 days a week and would frequently fly from Colorado down here to Arlington and also to Houston.
 
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Sure is odd seeing the plane smashed up in a field like that.

20140531__planecrash53114~p1.jpg
 
murphey said:
I checked FlightAware Sunday morning, no record of the airplane leaving FTG. If on an IFR plan, it usually shows up. He may have decided to file in the air because the FTG tower closes at 9 pm but Denver App/Dep is open 24/7.
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Clearance Delivery is available on the ground 24/7 at FTG. I don't know if you are talking to DEN CD after hours or directly with an Approach guy but they do answer on the second call - bet that radio isn't used much. Tower closed is definitely not a reason to pick-up the clearance in the air, particularly if one expects to be IMC on departure.
 
96gs917 said:
NTSB reports this accident was caused by "selfies"? Do you think this is possible?

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27447690/ntsb-selfies-likely-contributed-fatal-plane-crash-near
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Selfies in 300 foot ceilings at night when he wasn't night current according to his logs. I never realized he never got very high on the flight.

yup.

Sounds like he stayed low, and in the fog and spun it in quick.


http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20140531X12318&key=1
 
I used to be based at KFTG so know that area, and Bennett which is close by well. If you are going to give sightseeing rides they probably should be during the day, and not in fog.
 
So the NTSB saw video of them taking selfies on a previous flight? Now they're saying that the selfies contributed to the accident when they have no evidence such a thing was done during the accident? That's a hell of a reach.

Most likely just your typical VFR into degrading VMC followed by a loss of control crash.
 
vkhosid said:
...but you didn't actually read the reports, did you?

VFR into IMC at night...
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Um...yes...I did read the article which summarizes the NTSB report which states "It is likely that cell phone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control,"

My question was, do you think this is possible.

Something to think about when flying at night.
 
Makes me think a bit about filming flights. Would be weird for someone to have a POV video of my accident flight. I know there are plenty out there but the thought of the NTSB watching and writing a report of what they saw is kind of off putting.
 
96gs917 said:
Um...yes...I did read the article which summarizes the NTSB report which states "It is likely that cell phone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control,"

My question was, do you think this is possible.

Something to think about when flying at night.
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I was coming back from Boulder to Front Range one night with three passengers, one of them was my wife in the back seat. She was an experienced flyer, but still insisted on taking a picture without letting me know prior to the giant, night vision killing FLASH from the camera. My first thought was we had flown into, or near a T-Storm The flash did bother me for a few seconds. I wouldn't say it disoriented me, but it did really p*ss me off. :)
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Makes me think a bit about filming flights. Would be weird for someone to have a POV video of my accident flight. I know there are plenty out there but the thought of the NTSB watching and writing a report of what they saw is kind of off putting.
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To me the thought of crashing is off-putting. Never mind the camera...
 
96gs917 said:
Um...yes...I did read the article which summarizes the NTSB report which states "It is likely that cell phone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control,"

My question was, do you think this is possible.

Something to think about when flying at night.
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Touche!

But to answer your question, I think it would be totally possible...depending on the amount of ambient light, the amount of light in general, the intensity of the flash, the orientation of the flash to the pilots eyes, etc.....I've taken pictures before and inadvertently looked directly into the flash. For about a minute after that I would equate it to have my eyes completely shut....flying a plane with your eyes closed for a period of time; it's less than a stellar idea, I think.
 
jesse said:
So the NTSB saw video of them taking selfies on a previous flight? Now they're saying that the selfies contributed to the accident when they have no evidence such a thing was done during the accident? That's a hell of a reach.

Most likely just your typical VFR into degrading VMC followed by a loss of control crash.
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You got that right. Very speculative.
 
Clark1961 said:
Then on to what we're all thinking - they hit hard. Low altitude stall on engine out?
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I'm not sure why this is a problem, but it is.

http://www.wral.com/news/video/13771254/

Commercial pilot on IFR flight has engine trouble at altitude. Good weather, daytime flight. Glides down over a huge field. Low altitude stall, dies from the impact. In the middle of a large, smooth field with no obstructions.
 
dell30rb said:
I'm not sure why this is a problem, but it is.

http://www.wral.com/news/video/13771254/

Commercial pilot on IFR flight has engine trouble at altitude. Good weather, daytime flight. Glides down over a huge field. Low altitude stall, dies from the impact. In the middle of a large, smooth field with no obstructions.
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Ren, that crash in NC didn't involve a stall, but a simple flipover from landing perpendicular to the plowed rows. Aircraft not equipped with a shoulder harness and pilot sustained head injuries and a broken neck. One of our IAC 19 guys is with the Greensboro FSDO and worked that crash. I've always been a fan of shoulder harnesses in airplanes.
 
whifferdill said:
Ren, that crash in NC didn't involve a stall, but a simple flipover from landing perpendicular to the plowed rows. Aircraft not equipped with a shoulder harness and pilot sustained head injuries and a broken neck. One of our IAC 19 guys is with the Greensboro FSDO and worked that crash. I've always been a fan of shoulder harnesses in airplanes.
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Thanks, I didn't know that. Yes, shoulder harnesses are really a requirement, this illustrates why. It bothers me that some of the older aircraft I occasionally rent (152's ) have the shoulder harness plastic clip broken off, so the harness is always coming unfastened in flight unless you keep tension on it
 
vkhosid said:
.flying a plane with your eyes closed for a period of time; it's less than a stellar idea, I think.
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It was a Cessna 150. Take your hands and feet off the controls for a minute. Unless your trim is way out of whack you'll be flying straight and level when you regain your visual acuity.
 
steingar said:
It was a Cessna 150. Take your hands and feet off the controls for a minute. Unless your trim is way out of whack you'll be flying straight and level when you regain your visual acuity.
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You're assuming he was flying straight and level (and was trimmed properly) when the picture was taken...
 
vkhosid said:
You're assuming he was flying straight and level (and was trimmed properly) when the picture was taken...
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Doesn't matter. Aircraft will return to straight and level if you just let go of it so long as nothing is badly out of whack.
 
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