The 2001 Avjet Aspen crash occurred on March 29, 2001 when a chartered Gulfstream III business jet, operated by Avjet Corporation and registration N303GA, crashed into terrain while on instrument approach to Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, Aspen, Colorado. The three crew members and fifteen passengers on board all perished.
The subsequent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report concluded that the accident was caused by the captain's premature descent below the minimum descent altitude without visual reference to the runway.
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 (FAA) rules.
Read more about 2001 Avjet Aspen Crash: Flight History, Investigation and Final Report, Aftermath, Litigation
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