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Date: | Thursday 5 March 1992 |
Time: | 10:02 |
Type: | Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 Marquise |
Owner/operator: | private |
Registration: | N303CA |
MSN: | 1518SA |
Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | New Castle, Garfield County, Colorado -
United States of America
|
Phase: | Approach |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | Fort Worth Spinks Airport, Fort Worth, Texas (FWS/KFWS) |
Destination airport: | Garfield County Airport, Rifle, Colorado (RIL/KRIL) |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:The aircraft was destroyed when it impacted the ground at high speed in a steep nose down attitude shortly after commencing its descent into Garfield County Airport, Rifle, Colorado. The aircraft had been holding at the Downy Intersection, 21 miles from the airport at 16,000 feet, for other traffic but at 09:58 Local Time, it had been cleared to commence a LOC/DME approach. Shortly after this, at 10:02 Local Time, the aircraft suddenly disappeared from radar whilst descending through about 10,400 feet.
There was no distress call and, prior to the loss of contact, the flight seemed to be proceeding normally. At impact the MU-2's undercarriage had been down and its flaps set at 20 degrees (approach). The accident happened in daylight but in IMC. The aircraft had been operating a private flight from Fort Worth, Texas to Aspen, Colorado, but had diverted to Rifle due to poor weather in Aspen.
Twenty-four prescription and non prescription drugs were found on board the aircraft. The pilot's toxicology report disclosed 0.206 (ug/ml, ug/g) of chlorpheniramine, an antihistamine, in his liver fluid. According to an FAA flight surgeon, this would equate to approximately .034 ug/ml in blood.
Therapeutic dosage of this drug is .01 to .04 ug/ml. The drug is contraindicated for flying due to its capability of producing drowsiness. Chlorpheniramine is an ingredient found in Comtrex, one of the drugs found aboard the aircraft.
The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident to be: An inadvertent stall during an instrument approach with the auto pilot engaged. A factor was: the pilot's physical impairment from a prescription drug. All six persons on board (pilot and five passengers) were killed. Registration N303CA finally cancelled by the FAA on July 5 1994 as "destroyed". Remains moved to White Industries, Bates City, Missouri. On inventory list May 31, 2006. Last noted April 30, 2014.
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: DEN92FA040 at
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001211X14272&key=1 2. FAA:
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?nNumberTxt=303CA 3.
http://www.scramble.nl/civil-database/details?bt=mu2&af=774 4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.baaa-acro.com/1992/archives/crash-of-a-mitsubishi-mu-2-marquise-in-rifle-6-killed/]
5.
http://planecrashmap.com/plane/co/N303CA/ 6. "Dallas Flight Crashes in Colorado: 6 Die" - The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, Texas Friday March 6, 1992 Page 5 at
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16571567/ Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
24-Oct-2008 10:30 |
ASN archive |
Added |
12-Sep-2013 16:50 |
wf |
Updated [Operator, Source] |
05-Mar-2016 21:26 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
05-Mar-2016 21:27 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Narrative] |
05-Mar-2016 21:29 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Time, Departure airport] |
05-Mar-2016 23:58 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Source, Narrative] |
07-Dec-2016 22:12 |
wf |
Updated [Cn] |
21-Dec-2016 19:23 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |