American Champion 7KCAB accident near Winter Park, CO
On July 30, 2006, an American Champion 7KCAB (airplane) was involved in an accident near Winter Park, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 30, 2006
- Place
- Winter Park, CO
- Aircraft
- American Champion 7KCAB · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.934°N, 105.668°W
- NTSB ID
- 20060801X01066
Official records · DEN06FA107
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Weather Briefing Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 30, 2006, approximately 0700 mountain daylight time, an American Champion 7KCAB, N5232X, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain 6 nautical miles northeast of Winter Park, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and her passenger, a commercial certificated flight instructor, sustained fatal injuries. The cross-country flight departed McElroy Field (20V), Kremmling, Colorado, approximately 0630, and was en route to Boulder Municipal Airport (1V5), Boulder, Colorado. Family members reported that both pilots flew to Kremmling, camped under the wing of the airplane, and departed early the next morning in time to watch the sun rise over the continental divide. Both pilots were scheduled to be back at work at 0900 on the day of the accident. Witnesses camped on the west end of Betty Lake on the morning of the accident observed the accident airplane. According to these witnesses, the accident airplane flew overhead, from the east, towards the continental divide. One witness observed the accident airplane come from "behind the continental divide, wrap around the mountain, and then fly back around towards the lake." Another witness thought the airplane was going to land on the lake and estimated the airplane height between 100 and 200 feet above the ground. The airplane was observed to bank to the west at which time the "nose turned do
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to avoid a stall while maneuvering at a low altitude in mountainous terrain. Factors associated with the accident are the pilot's performance of a low altitude flight maneuver, an inadvertent stall/spin, and the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision.
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Browse: Colorado · American Champion aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
