Key Lime lost a pilot and a 404 this morning near KAPA. Godspeed.

Pilot dies after small plane crashes in Centennial

 

I just woke to a text message from a buddy about this crash. Trying to get accountability for our friends who work there (I don't work there but know a few guys who do so as I work outta centennial).

Weather is really bad today, -21C, 2.0 miles visibility, snow and mist. OVC1700. Not sure exactly what the metar was at that time.

 

Key Lime Air #182 ? 30-Dec-2014 ? KAPA - KDEN ? FlightAware

LiveATC.Net ATC Audio Archives (KAPA-Dec-30-2014-1100Z.mp3)
Radio transmissions- 14:48, 18:58, 24:14, 24:40, 27:01, 27:17

Sorry for their loss.

 

Don't want to turn this into a wang measuring contest, but that's nearly VFR.

 

Thoughts to the family and friends of the pilot.

 

True, just the -20C part was the extreme weather.

 

In a non preheated piston engine that could be disastrous.

 

In a geared engine, no less.

The two 404s there do have plug in electric heaters and blankets. That said, I'd be more curious about where the aircraft was parked overnight and how it was deiced. Looking at the METARs it was a light snow and/or mist all night.

 

Sounds like he lost an engine and tried to return to the airport.

 

If it's who I think it is (based on texts between former coworkers, and the pilot's FB page) the pilot was a career LEO in Aurora who transitioned into aviation, and became one of their checkairman, as well as Director of Safety. Flew all the pistons, right seat in the DoJet, and recently checked out in the Metro as well.

He was always a guy I liked seeing on the ramp because he had a great sense of humor and was willing to tell it like it was. Never try and play dumb with the guy because he'd call you out for it. Great sense of humor.

He also handed me my one and only pink slip, which at the time was richly deserved on my part.

One can easily go back and look at my posts and see that Key Lime and I did not part on good terms, but DS was not one of the reasons why. Really good guy who I enjoyed working with who will be greatly missed. I'm really glad I didn't have to be on that ramp this AM, nor this evening.