Challenger crash at KASE
 

ASPEN - The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office has confirmed it is responding to a plane crash at the Aspen Airport on Sunday afternoon.

Tweets shortly after 12:30 p.m. showed what appears to be a private plane crashing on the Aspen runway.


Read more at Plane crashes at Aspen airport

Appears to be N115WF - Canadair Challenger CL60

ASE - Aspen Challenger crash
 

Hearing reports of a Challenger, N115WF, crashed upon landing in Aspen CO this afternoon.

Initial reports of 1 dead, 2 injured.

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Challenger crash at KASE
 

Details still fuzzy.

Plane crashes at airport in Aspen, Colo.

Past few hours METARS:

KASE 051953Z 31016G30KT 7SM HZ BKN037 OVC048 M12/M20 A3008 RMK AO2 PK WND 32030/1950 SNB40E50 SLP248 P0000 T11221200 $

KASE 051853Z 31009G28KT 270V360 9SM HZ FEW035 BKN046 OVC050 M11/M20 A3007 RMK AO2 PK WND 33028/1851 SLP243 T11111200 $

KASE 051753Z 35013KT 6SM HZ BKN043 BKN050 M12/M17 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP250 60000 T11171172 11117 21161 51015 $

KASE 051653Z 35011KT 6SM HZ SCT044 BKN060 M12/M17 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP253 T11221172 $

KASE 051553Z COR 35006KT 6SM HZ SCT044 BKN060 M14/M16 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP243 T11391156 $

Challenger Crash
 

Not nice winds for decent stopping on rwy 15...

Interesting track - seems like a circle to land, followed by a missed, followed by a short approach for the 2nd shot???

Deep and fast?

From LiveATC recordings, hearing windshear reports of -10/+20kts on short final to Rwy 15 on first approach, and the accident aircraft declared a missed approach, stating 33kts tailwind. On second approach, tower called winds 320@16, pk gust 25kts (tailwind).

Interesting track indeed.
There's a video of today at the airport which is mostly wind noise...nasty day in Aspen.

Pilots try landing there with winds reported as exceeding the AFM limits often. Today, Rifle (KRIL) had better reported weather at accident time, quartering headwind on 26. An hour out, have the limo head to Rifle, it'll be waiting there when you shutdown.

Beyond that, well have to wait on the report.

Is there enough room for a jet to maneuver and land on RWY 33 at ASE? And land safely, given the 2% down slope? Thanks,

I would say a definitive negative to that.

If I knew how to post pics, I could show you why.

I've flown the circling to 33 in a 604 many years ago, but in almost perfect weather. Gusty winds, icing, vis etc makes it just that much more difficult...

Reports stating that the a/c had three s.o.b. - one fatality reported. Two survivors - one with serious, one with minor injuries.

Looks like they were on the way to pick someone up.
http://hosted.ap.org/photos/6/6d1b5f...5fd675-big.jpg

It's not uncommon to wait for the ASE tower to report wind that doesn't exceed tailwind component limits. And when there's a window of suitable weather, you still have to wait your turn.

You know what they say about mountain weather: Wait 5 minutes...

Video following accident..shows how nasty wx was/is.

Private jet crash video - YouTube

I feel for the corporate operators that operate there infrequently. The key to success, at least for my company is repetition. I've hauled pilots in and out of there who operate there very infrequently, understandably they're on edge. I land there a dozen times a month plus and my heart rate is elevated frequently.

Latte, what would have been your Vref on that day for interest sake?

Based on the video, which makes it look like the town and toward Independence Pass are covered in cloud, circling to 33 with a wind pushing you into the mountains would be very interesting, to say the least.

Maybe, or one approach broken off early, one missed, and then one close in pattern to touchdown??

Interesting looking at the vertical data in the link, enters the area enroute at 20 k, descends to 17,800, then back up to 21K, then down to 12,500, then back up to 15,900, then down to 9,200 ft, end of data (KASE field elevation 7800 ft)

From another forum:

Apparently an eyewitness.

Challenger Crash Aspen - Airline Pilot Central Forums

With 10-30 its on the tail, that 'close in pattern' would require nearly a miracle...

As posted in the BizJet forum.

I have as well, not in a 604, but in other jet aircraft and as you posted, clear day and dry ruway.

Also, as you probably know, you have to plant the aircraft on the runway 33 in the touchdown zone due to the down slope, or you'll float forever.

As far as I can remember, this only the second fatal jet accident at Aspen, the other one of course was the G-III. I was in Aspen when it crashed. I saw one other fatal accident at Aspen, it was a glider. We watched it fly into a river ridge. It was one of those 'Take a glider ride in beautiful Aspen for $50.00.' things. A couple on their honeymoon decided to take a ride, it was the wife's turn when it crashed, both her and the pilot were killed.

You have to be on top of your game at Aspen, God knows I've been there enough times, an average of once a week for 16 years combined winter and summer, to well understand that.

WC, I respect your abilities, but I really think the "The key to success" at Aspen is knowing when to divert. I'm not second guessing or being critical of any pilot. But, when I read the NTSB report of the Gulfstream crash that's what kept running through my mind.

Okay, I have some additonal information.

The aircraft was a 601-3AR. They were making their second attempt at landing on 15. It crashed trying to land on 15, not 33. On the first approach they went around when they got a 30 plus knot tailwind component on short final.

Just prior to the accident the tower reported the wind to the crew as; "330@16, 1 minute average 330 @14 gusting 25".

From reports from another website, the crew was new to the aircraft, it was sold in October in Mexico City.


Tower ATC tape here;

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ka...2014-1900Z.mp3

In the background at about 21:55 on the tape you can hear someone in the tower yelling "Go around, go around, go around!". Sobering.

From the pictures I have seen of the accident site, down valley was clear and the sun is/was shinning. For you here that are experienced Aspen pilots, know that is often the case, even with the local weather reporting overcast.

I will get a report from a crew that was in Aspen and saw the entire accident in about an hour or so. I'll relay it here.

Deferring to con-pilot's superior experience, going around at KASE, Landing 15, would be a sobering experience, indeed! The video posted on APF, shows the ski areas and town in cloud, the ridge opposite the terminal side is obscured looking toward the end of 15. A go around would be right into cumulo-granite.

Close up picture of accident.

[IMG]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps55f626a9.jpg

CBS News live raw feed
 

http://www.ustream.tv/cbsnews

(live at 23:35 UTC)

Lets jet

Pretty sure you know exactly what I meant.

There are things you do there that are uncommon elsewhere. On the LOC DME 15 it's common inside the FAF to be descending at 2500 FPM to get to MDA prior to MAP or turning right as soon as the wheels break ground. That is where repetition pays off.

Knowing when to divurt isn't a skill particular to ASE.

WC,

I agree with you....

Yeah, those head to head arrivals and takoffs were a bit unnerving at first, but one gets use to it. I only had to go around once* that I can remember because the departing aircraft started its takeoff too late.

The tower was not pleased, neither was I really. They kept telling the crew to either start their takeoff immeditely or clear the runway and of course they did neither untill I had to go around. After I started the miss, they finally took off.

The tower gave them their landline number and told them to call back after they landed, wherever they were going. I never found out if they did or not.

That's just the way it is in Aspen, ya got to roll with the punches.


* The more that I think about it now, it happend about three or four times in all those years, but I think the above was the only time it was a corporate jet. The other times they were light aircraft.

But have to admit, there were times I could see what color tie the departing pilot was wearing. :p

...white of the eyes....

Yeah, I never thought I could get used to it, but you do.

This really is the key. Your company must have solid and unbreakable SOPs when it comes to such airports. As a pilot you must be able to make that decision without being second guessed.

The passengers will always give you a hard time...(politely ignore them)
If you work for a company that talks to you like that or doesn't back you up when you make a safety call you really should consider looking for another job before you find yourself in a similar situation.

Does anyone know who the operator was? Corporate? Charter?

Says the crew was three Mexican men. That's all.

From Aviation-Safety.net

A Canadair Challenger 601 corporate jet, reported by Flightaware to be N115WF, sustained substantial damage in a landing accident at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, CO (ASE). The airplane came to rest upside down on runway 15. The right hand wing had broken off and a fire erupted. Three people were on board the airplane, the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said. One person died in the crash, one person has major to severe injuries and one person has minor to moderate injuries.
Flightaware data show that Challenger N115WF arrived at Tucson International Airport, AZ (TUS) about 08:47 MST following a flight from Toluca (TLC), Mexico. The airplane then departed at 10:04 MST, bound for Aspen, CO.
Audio from the Aspen Tower frequency shows N115WF being cleared to land about 12:10 but the flight executed a missed approach: "Missed approach November one one five Wiskey Fox .. Thirty three knots of tailwind." Other flights had also reported low level windshear and a gain of 5-20 knots on approach.
Following the missed approach procedure, N115WF was again cleared to land about 12:20: "November one one five Wiskey Foxtrot wind three three zero at one six, runway one five cleared to land. One minute average three two zero, one four, gust two five." This clearance was confirmed by N115WF: "Roger one one five Wiskey Fox."
The FAA confirmed to ABC News that the airplane was a "Bombardier Challenger 600, coming from Tucson to Aspen".

It is being reported on an other pilot's website (pay site) that they were new to the aircraft and this was their first trip into Aspen. The aircraft was sold to a company in Mexico City in October.

That is pretty reliable information. However, as they were going to ASE to pick up the passeners, how did the passengers get there in the first place, if not in that aircraft?

Oh well, we'll find out soon enough.