May 13, 1991: Air Grand Canyon, Inc., Cessna T207A (N6280H) Grand Canyon, AZ
May 13, 1991, was looking to be another busy day flying tourists over the the flight departed Grand Canyon National Park Airport (KGCN) for what was to be a 45-50 minute tour flight over the spectacular Grand Canyon.
The flight made a normal departure at 1:12 PM, but never made it to the canyon. A plume of black smoke was reported a few minutes later, eight miles east of the airport. After several unanswered radio calls and seeing wreckage, it would be confirmed by another AGC aircraft flying 15 minutes in trail that "Adventure One" had gone down in a fireball on the Kaibab Plateau. No distress calls were made and there were no survivors among the seven on board.
The NTSB investigation later revealed that the engine had seized/failed due to a catastrophic detonation of the number one cylinder. A post-accident engine tear-down revealed ignition temperatures became so extreme within the cylinder that the piston actually began to melt.
The flight crew/passenger manifest consisted of:
Robert R. Mathews..........Pilot
Doris Kalin......................United Kingdom
Gaby Horler....................United Kingdom
Franz Luond...................Switzerland
Max Krucker....................Switzerland
Paul Lipscombe...............West Germany
Gitta Lipscombe..............West Germany
This accident has personal meaning to me since I was originally the pilot scheduled to fly this particular flight. A group of six tourists requesting an air tour of the canyon while I was on my lunch break provided the "Twist-of-Fate" that allowed me to avoid almost certain death or serious injury. Never again after this day would I ever take aviation for granted.
***********************************************************************************************************************************
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The majority of "Adventure One" wreckage was removed from the site shortly after the NTSB completed their on-site examination. Only a few small fragments remain today. A few personal effects have been recovered from the site which included a set of keys, an eyewear sun-glass lens, and a partially melted wristwatch stopped at 1:20 PM (estimated time of the accident). Within a year after the accident, a bronze plaque was placed at the crash site as a memorial to those who lost their lives in this accident.
AIR GRAND CANYON - SUMMER 1991
Air Grand Canyon was founded in 1981 by Daniel C. Lawler. He began operations at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport with one Cessna T207A (Adventure One). By 1991, the company was celebrating it's 10th anniversary.
Today, the air tour company exists in name only with the operation of a single aircraft. A Cessna 182.
Air Grand Canyon flight brochure from May 1991. At the time, the company operated a fleet of four Cessna Turbo 207's, one Cessna Turbo 206, and a Cessna 182. The company offered three different air tour flights over Grand Canyon ranging from 30 minutes to 90 minutes in length.
AIRCRAFT INVOLVED
"Adventure One" (N6280H) was a 1978 Cessna Turbocharged 207A operated by Air Grand Canyon.
The aircraft was the first plane to be operated by the company when it began operations in 1981. The aircraft was configured with six passenger seats and one pilot seat.
The aircraft as it appeared in the summer of 1990. By May 1991, the small titles on the tail were replaced by a large number "1" with the title "AIR GRAND CANYON" below the number. (1990 LostFlights)
On September 20, 1990, Air Grand Canyon owner and founder Dan Lawler flew the company's 25,000th air tour flight over the canyon in "Adventure One".
Prior to May 13, 1991 Air Grand Canyon had operated since 1981 with a flawless accident free safety record.
A picture of me back in 1990 at Grand Canyon Airport with "Adventure 1". I still remember the plane as being one of the best in the AGC fleet of Cessna 207s.
January was one of the coldest months of the winter of 1990-1991 with temperatures often dropping below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
It was a daily job for the winter season tour pilots to remove the loose snow from the aircraft's wings and tail surfaces. AGC Pilots Scott Featherstone and Paul Richfield seen here cleaning up "Adventure One".
The passenger cabin of "Adventure One" was typical of most 200 series Cessna's. The passengers on AGC tour flights were provided music and a live tour narration by the pilot over the headphones.
THE PILOT:
Robert Ray Mathews (aka "Buzz"), age 26, was employed by Air Grand Canyon only three weeks prior to the accident. He held a commercial pilot certificate as well as flight instructor certificates. He had a total time of 1,168 hours, but only 36 hours were in the Cessna 207.
AIR GRAND CANYON FLIGHT 26749:
Air Grand Canyon's "Flight 26749" was the company's 26,749th air tour flight. Each tour flight AGC conducted used a sequenced number system since the company began operations in 1981 beginning with Flight # 1.
The paperwork shows "Flight 26749" within weight and balance limitations and about 250 pounds under the aircraft's takeoff gross weight limit of 3,800 pounds.
Prior to the flight, each passenger wrote in their name, weight, and address information. Originally my name was listed as the pilot for the flight and can be seen partially erased under Robert's nickname "Buzz".
This form would later be used by authorities to help identify the accident victims and their nationalities for next-of-kin notifications.
At 1:12 PM, "Adventure One" was cleared for takeoff on Grand Canyon National Park Airport's Runway 21 with full fuel tanks and every seat occupied.
THE ACCIDENT SCENE - MAY 13, 1991
Less than eight minutes later, "Adventure One" went down in a fireball near Grandview Ridge on Grand Canyon's south rim. There were no witnesses and no distress calls made.
The aircraft was still burning when AGC Chief Pilot Kenny Sleighton and myself arrived at the crash scene. Serving in the military, Kenny had seen things like this before. This was my first time and it was pretty disturbing. We left after just a few minutes of arriving.
This picture was taken by a reporter from the local newspaper shortly after the fires were extinguished.
A firefighter from the U.S. Forest Service extinguishes a hotspot at the impact site.
Two Coconino County Sheriff Deputys examine the wreckage.
NTSB INVESTIGATION BEGINS - MAY 14, 1991
The NTSB's accident investigation began the following morning on May 14th. Here we see lead accident investigator Richard Childress (left) walking to the scene with AGC owner Dan Lawler and his father. (1991 LostFlights)
NTSB Investigators were flown in from Los Angeles, California to examine the wreckage. Participating in the investigation were representatives from Cessna Aircraft, Continental Motors, and the company's insurance carrier.
With a full load of 100LL fuel (336 pounds) to burn, there was not much left of the aircraft's structure.
The NTSB Investigation would later determine the probable cause of the accident was a total loss of engine power due to the catastrophic detonation of the number "1" cylinder.
The loss of power from the engine was immediately suspected by investigators when it was observed that the propeller showed no signs of rotation and minimal chord-wise damage.
The lack of a suitable and safe landing area was a contributing factor.
The main wreckage was contained within a 20 foot radius.
The right rear passenger door with the interior handle still in the closed and locked position lies amid other debris.
The plane was literally torn apart as it descended through the forest. In the foreground, an aileron flight control surface.
The various parts and flight control surfaces located along the flight path helped determine why control was lost during the decent through the trees.
These three broken trees were the first point of contact as "Adventure One" broke through the top of the forest.
In the foreground, broken trees along with wing and tail fragments mark the destructive path of "Adventure One".
FIRST POINT OF IMPACT
This horizontal stabilizer fragment was wedged about 60 feet in the top of a pine tree.
With extensive tree impact damage to the aircraft's tail section, the aircraft was no longer controllable and impacted nose first into the ground.
The forward right side passenger door separated on impact and than burned in the resulting post impact fire that swept through the area.
The bottom of the right wing and flap are one of the few identifiable fragments.
At the completion of the on-site examination, the NTSB had the wreckage transported by truck to a storage yard in Phoenix. The engine, engine components and propeller were shipped to other facilities for tear-down examinations.
NTSB ENGINE ANALYSIS:
Every component of the aircraft's turbo-charged Continental engine was dismantled and examined. No anomalies were found until the number one cylinder was removed revealing a severely melted piston.
A close-up photo of the melted piston illustrates the damage caused by the catastrophic detonation.
In the final seconds of flight the rough running engine eventually seized causing the propeller to stop rotating. A silent, but steep glide to the dense forest below marked the end of "Adventure One".
MEMORIAL SERVICES HELD:
A memorial service for pilot Robert Mathews was held at Prescott's Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus. Another memorial service for the pilot and passengers was held at the Shrine of Ages Chapel at Grand Canyon Village on the south rim.
A VISIT TO THE ACCIDENT SITE - 1991
Myself and a few other employees of Air Grand Canyon visited the crash site about three weeks after the accident.
It was a bit hard to find, but the sight of freshly broken tree tops told us we were close to the crash site.
A few items were left or missed by the wreckage recovery crew such as this charred VHF communications antenna.
Evidence of extensive wing damage as the aircraft passed through the trees is seen by this separated navigation position light.
Air Grand Canyon Pilot Scott Featherstone found this partially melted wristwatch at the impact site. The minute and hour hands stopped 1:20 PM. The NTSB's estimated time of the accident.
The general atmosphere and emotions were pretty low during our visit. At the time, I think we were all still in disbelief as to what had happened.
By 1991, I had already researched and located many historical aircraft crash sites, but to experience the effects first hand was something I hope I never have to do again.
In a way, our visit to the crash site provided closure to many of us experiencing our first fatal aviation accident. It was also the only crash site of an aircraft that I had neglected to record the exact location.
It would take nearly two decades before I am able to locate the accident site again.
A RETURN TO THE SITE - AUGUST 2010
To re-locate the crash site I ended up comparing images from the Google Earth website to a single aerial color slide I had taken of the crash site in 1991.
By matching tree patterns on the ground I was able to finally determine the location of the site.
At the site, it was still possible to find fragments such as this. This was the largest aluminum fragment located at the site.
Fragments of painted plastic fairings and other non-structural parts were located at the site.
While I was at the site, I wanted to try and establish where the main fuselage wreckage came to rest. This task was difficult since many of the trees that were present in 1991 had been cut down and removed.
Some fragments of the aircraft were very small such as this electronic component from the aircraft avionics.
Small fragments of tranparent window plastic could still be found on the ground. This fragment was melted by the post crash fire.
In some areas I had to use a garden rake to clear the top layer of pine needles in an attempt to locate the main wreckage burn area.
Using a photos taken at the time of the accident, I tried to compare the accident site as it was in 1991 to how it looks in 2010.
Since this accident had so much meaning to me I wanted to place some kind of memorial at the site. I was very surprised to find out that someone also had the same idea.
Within a year of the accident, members of the Arizona Swiss Society placed a bronze plaque in memory of the people lost in the accident.
When I discovered the memorial it was buried under dirt and fallen tree branches. I was able to clear most of the debris off the memorial.
The plaque is a fine memorial to my late friend "Buzz" and to the passengers that perished in this tragedy.
N6280H LIVES ON.....sort of.
I was shocked to see that Adventure One's tail number (N6280H) was eventually re-registered years later to the owner of this Vans RV-6A experimental aircraft.
I believe that some things, even if it's a simple tail number should be retired from use after such a terrible accident.
*THE END*