NTSB Prelim Colorado CAP Crash 23 Nov 2024

LINKS:

Code BLANCOLIRIO

[jimellis]

Thank you, Juan. Susan was my bonanza transition pilot, performed an IPC with me after a major avionics upgrade and was also my ground instructor for the mountain flying course provided by CAP. She was an amazing person and critically thoughtful with her flying. This has rocked me to the core and will be with me forever. I think if her every time I get behind the yoke…

[David-vfde]

I am a Captain in CAP and a mountain instructor since 1994. One of the things the CAP course teaches is if you are in a mountain wave downdraft, not to try and horse your way out, but point the nose down and try to fly out of it. It's hard to say what happened here. A Cessna 182 above 7-8000 has no reserve power. If you find yourself in strong down drafts in rising terrain, it is a real challenge to escape. Time for a wingover. CAP teaches always have an escape path. CAP spares no expense to make sure their aircraft are maintained at high quality standards. I did not know any of the folks but certainly feel the sorrow. RIP to the folks who were working to improve the life's of others....

[allys]

Thanks Juan, this one hits hard. Fellow CAP members. Rest in peace friends.

[EricSydenstricker]

Hi Juan. Yes, that Lee side turbulence is a bad deal . Was in it at 10k on the backside of Banning pass CA. Didn't know if the Deboniar was going to make it through that one. Never been in anything like that. The forces were unbelievable.

[essiebessie]

Many many years ago my father flew an “experimental” aircraft through that area. At full power (admittedly pretty low) the winds abruptly began moving the aircraft BACKWARDS.

[ericlopkoff]

Thompson canyon has handed me my posterior several times while flying over the accident area. It’s a dangerous area. We lost a firefighting aircraft in the same area under similar circumstances a couple years ago.

[chuckinwyoming]

Mountain flying can surprise even experienced pilots and the downdraft in a rotor on the back side of a ridge can be more than you can climb out of. I have been in over 2000'/min down drafts. Very scary!

[sncy]

When I did my mountain flying training in that area, the flight school pounded in my head that winds higher than 30knots at 9000ft or in any of the passes is a no-go due to the risk of mountain wave activity.

[JohnLemieux]

Props to the iPhones built in crash detection/SOS feature which it sounds like may have saved the survivor

[ronsflightsimlab]

Thank you for your respectful coverage of this incident.

[RoseSharon]

So sad. 😢 Thank you Juan for all the updates. We appreciate your great work keeping us informed.

[johnemerson]

Many years ago I was working as a mid level mountain flying instructor with CAP flying out of Bishop, California. One of our Cessna 172's was out on a training mission at about 6000 feet altitude with terrain only a few hundred feet down. They hit a sudden down draft and tried to turn away down hill and climb. The down draft took them into small trees and brush. We got lucky. Everyone walked away and the airplane stayed in one piece.

[JohnLeaman-unrh]

Thanks Juan for the report, the CAP is a tremendous asset in time of need 🛩️🚁. 🙏🏻 for the families of those killed

[theblackbear]

Thanks Juan. A sobering reminder of the unforgiving nature of flight.

[khopkins]

Have a special appreciation for this CAP crew and a/c. Spent time with all. Mountain flying requires maximum SA and special skills…we train and train and sometimes it’s not enough. We say there’s only eleven seconds to get yourself out of trouble when it finds you…that’s not much margin. Condolences to all. Semper Vigilans

[DrJohn]

Having learned to fly thanks to the Civil Air Patrol, and making a career of aviation, it is always profoundly sad for me to learn about accidents like this involving the CAP. I owe a lot to the CAP whose headquarters is in my hometown at MXF.

[maximummarklee]

Hi Brownie, thanks for the official update. I am glad it wasn’t due to the photographer asking to swing the aircraft around for “just one more” photograph, because they can be so preoccupied with the subject-matter.

Since the lone survivor’s statement said nothing to reveal the reasons for that last turn into higher terrain, perhaps records of the winds are available to study for possible clues?

Let’s all hope that the survivor’s memory is fully restored and can recall some relevant details. They were traumatized, after all.

[wcdt]

I encountered leeward side downdrafts near Santa Fe. I was 20 miles away from the mountain peak. Scared me into a great respect for mountain flying.

[alreaud]

I live in the city to the east, Loveland. They were looking at a recent (at the time) fire burn. That was the local reporting.

[pi.actual]

Mountains can be tricky one time I was going into Pine Mountain Lake (E45) which, as those familiar know, is right on the edge of the very deep Tuolumne River canyon. I hit a sudden and unexpected draft that I swear tried to completely flip me over. You gotta be on your toes.