| 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 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| 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) |
| Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, CO (ASE/KASE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Gulfstream III, N303GA, crashed while on final approach to runway 15 at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE), Colorado, killing all 18 on board.
The charter flight had departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) about 17:11 with 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and 15 passengers. The airplane crashed into sloping terrain about 2,400 feet short of the runway threshold. All of the passengers and crewmembers were killed, and the airplane was destroyed.
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:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB-AAB-02-03
Location
Images:
photo (c) NTSB; Aspen Airport, CO (ASE); 29 March 2001
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Jan-2025 19:58 | ASN | Updated [Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
| 20-Jan-2025 19:59 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, ] |
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