Tue, Apr 26, 2011
Calls Renewed Following Fatal Accident Over The Weekend
Pilots and city officials once again find themselves defending
Rocky Mountain Airpark in Elbert County, CO. The Airpark operator
and a passenger were fatally injured Saturday when the Carbon Cub
they were flying went down.
Carbon Cub File Photo
Pete Vinton, who was the operator of the fly-in community
outside Denver, was the pilot in command of the Carbon Cub when the
accident occurred. One neighbor told Colorado television station
KKTV that the residents of the community were "big boys with toys"
who present a danger to those living in the area. Another said
pilots performed "acrobatics" such as "hammerheads" and low-level
passes.
Pilots tell a different story about Vinton and the Airpark. One,
a friend of Vinton's, said those who were complaining are "not
familiar with aviation." He said Vitnon was always "sensitive"
about noise abatement, and worked hard to respect homeowners in the
nearby area. An Elbert County Commissioner said that the
airport was there "long before housing sprang up around it," and
that Vinton worked hard to restrict flights into and out of the
Airpark.
The accident is one of several over the past few years,
according to the station, but was the first fatality. Vinton had
told the station back in 2006 following a non-fatal accident that
the pilot had followed proper procedure in putting an airplane down
in a open field. "Obviously, they don't want to head for any houses
or anything," he said at that time.
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