Steamboat Springs - Denver

On December 4, 1978 at 07:45 PM, Steamboat Springs - Denver experienced a crash involving De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, operated by Rocky Mountain Airways, with the event recorded near Steamboat Springs-Bob Adams Colorado.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a mountains crash site.

22 people were known to be on board, 2 fatalities were recorded, 20 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 9.1%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 20, passenger fatalities: 1, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is weather. The flight departed Steamboat Springs-Bob Adams Airport at 1855LT on a scheduled flight to Denver-Stapleton, carrying 20 passengers and a crew of two. After takeoff, while climbing, the crew encountered severe icing conditions and was cleared to return when the flight crashed into a mountain at the 10,530 feet level. Rescuers arrived on scene the following morning. A pilot and a passenger died while 20 other occupants were injured, most of them seriously. According to official observations, the weather at Steamboat Springs about 25 minutes before the accident consisted of an estimated 2,000 feet overcast ceiling and 6 miles visibility in freezing rain. According to surviving passengers, after the accident, snow was falling at the crash site and a strong wind was blowing and gusting from the west.

Aircraft reference details include registration N25RM, MSN 387, year of manufacture 1973.