[kellyhound]

The tragic accident occurred on Friday, August 10, 1984, in Tabernash, Colorado. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officially approved the probable cause on December 14, 1992. The aircraft involved was a Cessna L-19E with the registration N4584A, and the outcome was devastating, resulting in two fatalities.

The flight's intended destination was not reached, and it departed from Grandby on the aforementioned date. However, the aircraft was not located until August 23, 1987, when it was discovered on the slope of a heavily tree-covered ridge.

Remarkably, a video tape was recovered from the wreckage, providing a comprehensive visual and audio record of the entire flight, from takeoff to the moment of impact. Upon careful examination and comparison of the recording with a topographical map, it became evident that the flight was ascending slowly, but its altitude above the ground was steadily decreasing as it approached the 10,200-foot level, ultimately ending in a tragic crash.

In the final moments captured on the tape, the terrain outside the cockpit window dominated the view. The pilot initiated an approximate 45 to 55-degree bank to the right, and during this maneuver, the stall warning horn could be heard sounding three times within an approximately 180-degree turn.

Tragically, the aircraft subsequently stalled three times, entered a spin, flipped over, and ultimately collided with the surrounding trees. It is noteworthy that the density altitude at the time was just slightly above 13,000 feet.

The NTSB determined the probable cause of this heart-wrenching accident to be the result of several factors: in-flight planning and decision-making errors, improper airspeed maintenance by the pilot in command, and the failure to consider the significant impact of the high-density altitude while attempting a 180-degree right turn at an approximate bank angle of 45 to 55 degrees. Ultimately, the insufficient lift available to safely complete this maneuver played a pivotal role in the tragic outcome.

[bo's sack]

[KingMidasInRevers]

That would suck!! I think I would have banked left and tried for one of those fields..

wow... that would be horrible!

[MattyD]

Wow. Am I right in believing that it took them 3 years to locate the wreckage?
Reminds me of the JFK Jr. assassination conspiracies, for they must have gone through the same thing

[saraaelisabeth]

Oh man.. that would've sucked.

[alpha.first.one]

hows ronny?

[LittleNightmare]

jeeez, that's horrible.

[Azimuth]

Originally Posted by MattyD ↗

Wow. Am I right in believing that it took them 3 years to locate the wreckage?

That's what the NTSB report states.

[Azimuth]

Originally Posted by KingMidasInRevers ↗

That would suck!! I think I would have banked left and tried for one of those fields..

It was his turn without proper (not fast enough) airspeed that caused him to stall, the only thing turning left might have done is made the wreckage easier to find.