2001 Avjet Gulfstream III crash
N303GA, the Gulfstream III business jet involved in the accident, seen in August 1991, under a previous livery | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 March 2001 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Pitkin County, near Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, Aspen, Colorado, USA 39°14′8.75″N 106°52′35.57″W / 39.2357639°N 106.8765472°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Gulfstream III |
| Operator | Avjet Corporation |
| Registration | N303GA |
| Flight origin | Los Angeles International Airport, California |
| Destination | Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, Colorado |
| Occupants | 18 |
| Passengers | 15 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 18 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On March 29, 2001, a chartered Gulfstream III business jet operated by Avjet from Los Angeles, California, to Aspen, Colorado, crashed into the ground while on final approach. All three crew members and 15 passengers on board perished.
The subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the cause of the accident was the captain's premature descent below the minimum descent altitude, carried out without having the runway in sight.
The accident's investigation also brought into focus several generic safety issues, such as pressure applied on charter pilots by customers, night flight into airports near mountainous terrain, and the ambiguity of some Federal Aviation Administration rules.