Mark Hansen wrote:

This is sad... I wonder why he chose to cross the Rockies at a spot
where the mountains are so high?

Actually, it is not such a bad place to cross. From Salida, you follow
the valley northwest to Leadville, then turn west across a pass to
Glenwood Springs. After that you are home free. I have gone this way
several times, and this is the route we took when I took the Mountain
Flying Course from the Colorado Pilots Association.


I just took a mountain flying course from a guy in Alamosa, which
started with a landing in Salida, then on to Leadville (and on from
there).

From the report the crash was at Maysville almost due west of Salida.
It appears that he was trying to go over Monarch Pass. It is also
interesting that the provided time from departure until crash (16
miles away) was 45 minutes.

Had he gone NNW towards Buena Vista and Leadville he could have
climbed over the valley.

Ron Lee