The National Transportation Safety Board has released some preliminary information about the plane crash that killed Carbondale resident Barry Maggert last week, including some details from the passenger’s who was injured.
The report did not disclose a cause for the accident — that could require between 12 and 18 months to determine — but it did say that the plane crashed to the ground and was destroyed “following a partial loss of power.”
Maggert, 47, was piloting the single-engine Cessna 182 he co-owned with Carroll Winkler of Glenwood Springs. He took off from the Glenwood Springs airport at 3:08 p.m. en route to his son’s college graduation in Boulder, with a passenger, 23-year-old Jonathan Holton.
At the time of the accident, Maggert was flying on an instrument flight plan, which is generally used during adverse weather or meteorological conditions.
The airplane entered clouds with light snow at about 16,000 feet and just past the Eagle County Airport, according to a statement the passenger provided to the NTSB. It reportedly “had difficulty maintaining altitude, and the engine began to sputter.”
Holton recalled Maggert’s saying there was a “mixture problem” and adjusting the mixture control, but the plane began to descend while he was working on it.
“The passenger stated that the airplane would ‘nose over’ as the pilot attempted to control the airplane,” said the report, and Maggert continued to fly it until it crashed into a wooded mountainside at 10,400 feet, about 4 miles from Black Hawk. The crash occurred at approximately 3:45 p.m.
Holton then got out of the airplane, called 911, freed Maggert from his seat and tried to give him medical help.
A local news helicopter actually discovered the accident site.
Due to the ruggedness of the terrain and deep snow, it took some time for rescue crews to reach the site. A helicopter transported Holton to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver, where he was treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries, including a broken ankle, according to the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office. Maggert’s body was recovered the next day.
The wreckage of the plane was found upright, with all major components accounted for, breached fuel tanks with fuel still in them and a crushed horizontal stabilizer and wings, according to the NTSB. “The fuselage was crushed on the pilot’s side and the engine was partially buried into the snow and soil.”
A nearby weather station reported 5-knot winds, 30-mile visibility and scattered clouds at 6,000 feet. It also noted cumulonimbus clouds in the area, which can indicate heavy rain and thunderstorms.
The NTSB will release another factual report in approximately 9 months and a final report with probable cause in 12-18 months.
lutz@aspendailynews.com
