VFR encounter with IMC: Piper PA-60-601P Aerostar, N100PB, fatal accident occurred on July 6, 2023, near Burlington, Colorado

• Location: Burlington, Colorado 
• Accident Number: CEN23FA285 
• Date & Time: July 6, 2023, 13:30 Local 
• Registration: N100PB 
• Aircraft: Piper PA-60-601P 
• Aircraft Damage: Destroyed 
• Defining Event: VFR encounter with IMC 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

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On July 6, 2023, at an unknown time, a Piper PA-60-601P airplane, N100PB, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Burlington, Colorado. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot departed the airport about 1330 local time for an unknown destination in visual flight rules conditions. The accident site was located about 12 nautical miles (nm) from the airport; however, the airplane’s flight path and time of the accident are unknown as there was no flight track or recorded data available; there were no witnesses to the accident.

Postaccident examination revealed no preimpact anomalies with the airplane or engines that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions after the airplane’s departure suggest the airplane may have encountered an area of deteriorating weather and instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) that reduced visibility and obscured terrain. However, as the accident time is unknown, the investigation was unable to determine if the airplane crashed during a time of deteriorating weather. The pilot was also operating the airplane with an inoperative GPS, which could have decreased the pilot’s ability to maintain situational awareness. The accident site signatures were consistent with a loss of control and impact with terrain.

An autopsy was conducted on the pilot; however, due to the condition of the remains, it could not be determined if an impairing condition or natural disease contributed to the accident. An unknown quantity of ethanol detected by toxicological testing may have been from postmortem production; however, the limited results also do not exclude the possibility of ethanol consumption or related impairment.

- Probable Cause: The pilot’s visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control in flight and subsequent impact with terrain.