2021 Colorado mid-air collision
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 May 2021 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision on final approach to parallel runways |
| Site | Cherry Creek State Park, Arapahoe County, Colorado 39°37′30″N 104°51′07″W / 39.62500°N 104.85194°W |
| Total fatalities | 0 |
| Total injuries | 0 |
| Total survivors | 3 |
| First aircraft | |
.jpg) A Key Lime Air Swearingen SA226 Metroliner similar to the aircraft involved in the crash | |
| Type | Swearingen SA226TC Metroliner |
| Operator | Key Lime Air |
| IATA flight No. | KG970 |
| ICAO flight No. | LYM970 |
| Call sign | KEY LIME 970 |
| Registration | N280KL |
| Flight origin | Harriet Alexander Field, Salida, Colorado |
| Destination | Centennial Airport, Colorado |
| Occupants | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 1 |
| Second aircraft | |
.jpg) N416DJ, the Cirrus SR22 GTS G5 carbon involved in the accident | |
| Type | Cirrus SR22 GTS G5 |
| Operator | private flight owned by BB CO LLC |
| Call sign | NOVEMBER 416 DELTA JULIET |
| Registration | N416DJ |
| Flight origin | Centennial Airport, Colorado |
| Destination | Centennial Airport, Colorado |
| Occupants | 2 |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 2 |
On 12 May 2021, Key Lime Air Flight 970, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner operating a chartered cargo flight from Salida, Colorado to Centennial, Colorado collided in mid-air with a private Cirrus SR22. The Swearingen Metroliner managed to land safely despite having sustained severe damage while the Cirrus SR22 deployed its CAPS system and safely parachuted to the ground.
All three occupants on board both aircraft survived uninjured.
Accident
At about 10:20 AM local time, a
Cherry Creek Reservoir; the pilot and single passenger were not injured.[1] It was covered heavily by local and national media outlets due in part to the lack of fatalities or injuries to the parties involved, a rare outcome in a midair collision.[2]
Investigation
The
wing flaps had been lowered to 50% but the aircraft was flying at 140 kn (160 mph; 260 km/h), much faster than the recommended speed of 85–90 kn (98–104 mph; 157–167 km/h) per the aircraft flight manual. Furthermore, the two parallel runways were being worked by different ATC controllers using different radio frequencies; the controller talking to the SR22 pilot issued traffic advisories regarding the Metroliner as required by regulations, but the other controller did not tell the Metroliner pilot about the approaching SR22, and thus the Metroliner pilot was unaware of the other aircraft and did not know to take evasive action.[3][4]
References
- ^ Cole, Brendan (13 May 2021). "Plane Miraculously Floats to Ground Using Parachute After Midair Collision: Man Steals Passenger Plane, Does Stunts Before Crashing". MSN. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "Two planes collide midair above Denver, no one injured". ABC News. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Niles, Russ (1 April 2023). "NTSB Says Midair Pilot Overshot Pattern Turns". AVweb. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Aviation Investigation Final Report". National Transportation Safety Board. 29 March 2023. CEN21FA215. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
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