ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 172910
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| Date: | Sunday 11 January 2015 |
| Time: | 12:46 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28RT-201T Turbo Arrow IV |
| Owner/operator: | Tefft Wade H |
| Registration: | N82828 |
| MSN: | 28R-8131015 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4105 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-360 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | NW of Horth Airstrip (CO77), Brighton, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Van Aire Airport, CO (CO12) |
| None | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 11, 2015, at 1246 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28RT-201T single-engine airplane, N82828, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Brighton, Colorado. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Van Aire Airport (CO12), Brighton, Colorado, about 1220.
Witnesses reported observing the pilot taxi the airplane from inside his hangar and depart. For several minutes, the airplane maneuvered at a low altitude and high airspeed. Witnesses then observed the airplane make a steep bank turn, descend, and impact terrain about 5 miles east of the departure airport. The pilot's wife had reported to local law enforcement that she believed he had committed suicide. The pilot's wife reported that she had recently informed him that she wanted a divorce and was purchasing another home. She added that, about 5 years earlier, the pilot had told her that, if she ever left him, he would fly his airplane into the ground and kill himself. Although the wreckage was significantly fragmented, no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airframe or engine were noted that would have precluded normal operation. The medical examiner determined that the pilot's manner of death was "suicide."
Probable Cause: The pilot's intentional descent into the terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jan-2015 00:23 | Geno | Added |
| 12-Jan-2015 18:22 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2015 21:07 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 13-Jan-2015 21:20 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 20-Jan-2015 22:42 | Geno | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Source] |
| 28-Mar-2015 19:23 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 01-Dec-2017 11:48 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Sep-2022 16:12 | Captain Adam | Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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