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From The NTSB: Denver Mid-Air

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  • From The NTSB: Denver Mid-Air

    This just in from the NTSB advisory notification system to which we subscribe as a media contact:

    ***BEGIN ADVISORY***

    NTSB Advisory
    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594


    January 27, 2003


    UPDATE ON NTSB INVESTIGATION INTO MIDAIR COLLISION IN DENVER, COLORADO



    Washington, D.C. -- The National Transportation Safety Board today released
    the following update of its investigation of the midair collision between a
    Piper PA-31T twin-engine Cheyenne (N360LL) and a single-engine Cessna 172
    (N52241) on January 24, 2003, over northwest Denver, Colorado. Both
    aircraft were destroyed by impact forces and fire. Five people were killed
    in the crash.

    Airplane Wreckage
    The wreckage from both airplanes has been collected and secured at an
    aircraft salvage facility in Greeley, Colorado. Today, the wreckage is
    being carefully laid out and examined by investigators from the NTSB with
    assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), New Piper
    Aircraft Company, and Cessna Aircraft Company. The wreckage will be examined
    in an effort to document paint transfer marks, scratch marks, and structural
    damage, to assist in determining the collision angles between the two
    airplanes. This activity will continue over the next 2 days. Maintenance
    records for each airplane are also being secured and will be examined.
    Air Traffic Control Issues
    As a routine part of any investigation involving a midair collision in or
    near controlled airspace, the NTSB formed an Air Traffic Control (ATC)
    group. The group chairman is an ATC specialist from NTSB Headquarters in
    Washington, D.C. who arrived in Denver on Sunday. The ATC group consists of
    representatives from the FAA in Washington, D.C., and local representatives
    from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Yesterday, the group
    visited the Denver ATC Approach Control facility in Denver, Colorado, and
    received an initial briefing regarding the facility. The group also viewed
    the radar playback, listened to recorded ATC voice communications, and
    downloaded recorded radar data for further analysis. The following
    information has been obtained thus far from the ATC group:
    The pilots were not required, according to FAA regulations, to contact ATC;
    however, both pilots requested and received a service known as visual flight
    rules (VFR) flight following. As a result, one controller was providing
    basic radar services to both pilots which include safety alerts, traffic
    advisories and limited radar vectoring when requested by the pilot.
    The group will be interviewing ATC controllers today, and will continue to
    analyze the radar data and voice recordings.

    Sequence of Events

    The following sequence of events is according to preliminary information.

    About 5:00 p.m. CST, the Cessna 172 departed from Centennial Airport enroute
    to Cheyenne, Wyoming. About 5:10 p.m., the Piper Cheyenne departed
    Jefferson County Airport enroute to Centennial Airport. At 5:17 p.m., the
    Piper Cheyenne pilot reported to the Denver Approach controller. When
    asked, the Piper Cheyenne pilot reported that his altitude was 7,800 feet.
    About 90 seconds later, the Cessna 172 pilot contacted the controller. The
    Cessna was at 7,300 feet and requested to climb to 8,500 feet. The request
    was granted.

    About ten seconds later, the controller asked the Piper Cheyenne pilot his
    altitude. The Piper Cheyenne pilot indicated that he was flying at 7,600
    feet. The controller then issued a traffic advisory to the Piper Cheyenne
    pilot advising that there was a Cessna at the Piper Cheyenne's twelve
    o'clock position and 1 mile at 7,700 feet. The collision occurred shortly
    thereafter.

    Weather and Lighting Environment
    The reported weather conditions about the time of the accident allowed for
    flights to be conducted under VFR. The reported visibility was about 10-15
    miles and the cloud conditions were reported as broken and scattered from
    6,000 feet to 14,000 feet mean sea level. Additionally, the sun had set
    about 20 minutes prior to the collision. Safety Board investigators will
    continue to investigate the effects that lighting may have had on the
    pilots' ability to see other aircraft.

    ***END ADVISORY***
    Wayne Sagar
    "Pusher of Electrons"
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