A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company

Canadair CL-600 Challenger

The aircraft crashed into the side of a mountain ridge during a VFR attempt to land at an airport with no instrument approach. The mountain ridge was obscured by broken clouds. The pilot had cancelled his IFR clearance, and during the descent to the airport, he had descended below clouds near the airport with clouds still obscuring some of the terrain. One mile visibility was a requirement for the VFR approach. According to witness statements, the aircraft continued to remain below the clouds and the pilot continued the approach even though he was not properly positioned to make a successful landing. The pilot had a partial occlusion of a coronary artery, but its relationship to the accident was not determined. The aircraft impacted at about 6,250 feet msl. The field elevation is 5,315 feet msl. The accident site was about 2 1/2 mi from the airport. The airport was located in a mountain valley about 1 to 1.25 mi wide. Also, the airport and surrounding terrain were covered with snow. Both pilots were killed.