Accident Gulfstream American G-1159 Gulfstream II N303GA,

Date:	Thursday 29 March 2001
Time:	19:01
Type:	Gulfstream American G-1159 Gulfstream II
Owner/operator:	Avjet Corp
Registration:	N303GA
MSN:	303
Year of manufacture:	1980
Total airframe hrs:	7266 hours
Cycles:	3507 flights
Engine model:	Rolls-Royce Spey 511-8
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 18 / Occupants: 18
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	0,7 km N of Aspen Airport, CO (ASE) - United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX)
Destination airport:	Aspen Airport, CO (ASE/KASE)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Crashed on finals to runway 15 when it hit a hill and then plunged across a 200 foot culvert between the hill and the airport before slamming into Shale Bluff, broke up and caught fire.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight crew's operation of the airplane below the minimum descent altitude without an appropriate visual reference for the runway.
Contributing to the cause of the accident were the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) unclear wording of the March 27, 2001, Notice to Airmen regarding the nighttime restriction for the VOR/DME-C approach to the airport and the FAA's failure to communicate this restriction to the Aspen tower; the inability of the flight crew to adequately see the mountainous terrain because of the darkness and the weather conditions; and the pressure on the captain to land from the charter customer and because of the airplane's delayed departure and the airport's nighttime landing restriction. "

Accident investigation: