Canadair CL-600-2A12 accident near Montrose, Colorado, November 28, 2004
On November 28, 2004 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Canadair CL-600-2A12, registered N873G, was destroyed in an accident near Montrose, Colorado (Montrose Regional airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight crew's failure to ensure that the airplane’s wings were free of ice or snow contamination that accumulated while the airplane was on the ground, which resulted in an attempted takeoff with upper wing contamination that induced the subsequent stall and collision with the ground. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilots’ lack of experience flying during winter weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 2004 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Montrose, Colorado · Montrose Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Canadair CL-600-2A12 · all CL-600-2A12s on the register
- Registration
- N873G · no longer on the register · serial 3009
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On November 28, 2004, about 0958 mountain standard time, a Canadair, Ltd., CL-600-2A12, N873G, registered to Hop-a-Jet, Inc., and operated by Air Castle Corporation dba Global Aviation as Glo-Air flight 73, collided with the ground during takeoff at Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), Montrose, Colorado. The on-demand charter flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and snow was falling. Of the six occupants on board, the captain, the flight attendant, and one passenger were killed, and the first officer and two passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The flight was en route to South Bend Regional Airport (SBN), South Bend, Indiana. The complete report of this accident investigation was adopted by the Safety Board on May 2, 2006, and is available on : http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2006/AAB0603.pdf
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,396 hours in all; 913 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 87 in the last 30 days; 10,851 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,586 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,316.6 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 1, 2004; 8.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 44,600 lb
- Seats: 13
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF34-3A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF34-3A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Air Castle Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: MTJ Montrose CO at 5:55 pm
- Destination: SBN South Bend IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 7,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; a few clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.67 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MTJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.