Grumman Gulfstream III accident near Aspen, Colorado, March 30, 2001
On March 30, 2001 at about 2:01 am local time, a Grumman Gulfstream III, registered N303GA, was destroyed in an accident near Aspen, Colorado (Aspen-Pitkin Co/Sardy Field). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 18 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight crew's operation of the airplane below the minimum descent altitude without an appropriate visual reference for the runway. Contributing to the cause of the accident were the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) unclear wording of the March 27, 2001, Notice to Airmen regarding the nighttime restriction for the VOR/DME-C approach to the airport and the FAA's failure to communicate this restriction to the Aspen tower; the inability of the flight crew to adequately see the mountainous terrain because of the darkness and the weather conditions; and the pressure on the captain to land from the charter customer and because of the airplane's delayed departure and the airport's nighttime landing restriction.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2001 · about 2:01 am local time
- Place
- Aspen, Colorado · Aspen-Pitkin Co/Sardy Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 18 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman Gulfstream III
- Registration
- N303GA · no longer on the register · serial 303
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/publictn.htm . On March 29, 2001, about 1901:57 mountain standard time, a Gulfstream III, N303GA, owned by Airbourne Charter, Inc., and operated by Avjet Corporation of Burbank, California, crashed while on final approach to runway 15 at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE), Aspen, Colorado. The charter flight had departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) about 1711 with 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and 15 passengers. The airplane crashed into sloping terrain about 2,400 feet short of the runway threshold. All of the passengers and crewmembers were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was being operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,900 hours in all; 1,475 in this make and model; 87 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 7,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 8, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 49 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 4,612 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 9, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,266 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 23, 2001; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 70,300 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Rolls-Royce Spey MK 511-8 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Rolls-Royce Spey MK 511-8 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Avjet CORP
The flight
- Departed from: Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 7,004 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; a few clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 15 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.