American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC accident near Meeteetse, WY
On September 1, 2024, an American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Meeteetse, WY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 1, 2024
- Place
- Meeteetse, WY
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.006°N, 109.293°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240901195035
Official records · WPR24FA291
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 1, 2024, about 1045 mountain daylight time, an American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC, N23BD, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Meeteetse, Wyoming. The pilot sustained serious injuries, and the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A family member of the passenger reported that the intent of the flight was to spread the ashes of a recently deceased family member over the Shoshone National Forest. On the day of the accident flight, the pilot and passenger met at Yellowstone Regional Airport (COD), Cody, Wyoming, to overfly the national forest. The family member added that she observed the airplane overfly her location in the national forest, circle, and then depart to the west. The pilot reported that the intent of the flight was to depart to a predetermined GPS location, locate the passenger’s relatives on the ground, and spread the ashes. After arriving at the GPS location, they observed the family members on the ground, circled, and spread the ashes. After releasing the ashes, the pilot leveled the airplane and applied engine power. He stated that the airplane “reached an altitude where it could not climb” and that the airspeed was near stall speed. He did not recall the airplane’s altitude at the time it stopped climbing, and reported that due to his injuries, he did not recall any of the subsequent events of the flight. Two hunters, one of whom was a rated pilot, were hunting in the area of the accident. The pilot-rated witness said that he
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to continue the flight over rising terrain at a low altitude in a high-elevation, high-density-altitude environment.
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Browse: Wyoming · 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.
