ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 75537
Last updated: 4 November 2019
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| Date: | 08-JUL-2010 |
| Time: | 12:30 |
| Type: |  American Champion 8KCAB |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N56BC |
| C/n / msn: | 1088-2009 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Forest Canyon, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Greeley, CO (GXY) |
| Aspen, CO (ASE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
The pilot stated that when he was trying to fly across a mountain pass, the airplane encountered a strong downdraft. The pilot added full power but was unable to stop the airplane’s descent, so he performed a forced landing in a heavily forested area. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation. A review of weather radar and satellite imagery showed convective development at the accident location just before the accident. Postaccident interviews with personnel at the departure airport indicated that the pilot stated that he had not flown in the mountains before and that he took off despite warnings about the current weather and related mountain flying hazards.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to fly at a low altitude in mountainous terrain and weather conditions conducive to downdrafts.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20100710X31016&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Jul-2010 11:04 | slowkid | Added |
| 09-Jul-2010 19:53 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Source, Damage] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 17:58 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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