Swearingen SA226T Merlin III crash, Dec 19, 1997 (1 killed)
Swearingen SA226T Merlin III accident on December 19, 1997 near Byers, Colorado, United States with 1 fatality. Cause: The pilot inadvertently stalled...
- Date: December 19, 1997
- Aircraft: Swearingen SA226T Merlin III
- Location: Byers, Colorado, United States
- Fatalities: 1
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: The pilot inadvertently stalled the aircraft and became spatially disoriented, with high workload and dark night conditions as factors.
A Big Bang Aviation Swearingen Merlin III departed Front Range at night into an overcast layer and climbed above the cloud tops into darkness. The pilot made erratic airspeed and climb changes, then stalled and became spatially disoriented before striking frozen ground near Byers. The pilot was killed.