A Colorado couple, both pilots with 2,000 hours and instrument ratings, had taken their Malibu to Hutchinson, Kansas, for its annual inspection. They returned home to Steamboat Springs in a rented car, and two weeks later drove back to Hutchinson to retrieve the airplane. The work done had included the removal of free play from the landing gear, which had been cycled on jacks afterward.
The weather briefing for the return flight announced a large low-pressure system moving southward along the Rockies, bringing snow and fog with it. Airmets warned of moderate turbulence and icing, but there was time to beat the storm to the couple’s destination. At 10:10 on the morning of Dec. 22, 2008, having collected the finished paperwork on the annual inspection, the couple departed on an IFR flight plan for Hayden, Colorado, which was still enjoying marginal VFR conditions under a layered overcast.
