Piper Aerostar 600A. A plane similar to this one was involved in the crash. Image courtesy of Northern Jet Sales.org

Video of low-flying Piper Aerostar moments before crash

in News, Videos March 21, 2014

Amateur video footage captures the last tragic moments of a lone pilot in his Piper Aerostar twin airplane just moments before striking the ground. It appears that the pilot was performing low-flying manoeuvres over the Colorado neighbourhood over which he was flying.

Apparently the pilot was from the area, which crashed in a neighbourhood just outside of Aurora, Colorado. He was flying extremely low over the area, and it is suspected he was probably buzzing his own home or that of a friends. The accident is a disturbing one for NTSB investigators, as the pilot likely knew the area and was performing dangerous, low flying manoeuvres over a populated area.

Low level flying over a populated area is illegal in many jurisdictions. For example, Canadian Air Regulations (CARS) prohibits flight below 1000′ AGL over a built up, populated area (CARS 602.14).

The Aerostar 601, built in 1975 crashed in a fireball while performing aerobatic manoeuvres next to homes on the edge of Aurora. Nobody on the ground was hurt. The pilot has not yet been identified.