Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 23, 2013, about 0811 mountain daylight time, an experimental exhibition Nanchang China CJ-6 airplane, N2726C, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Wolcott, Colorado. The private pilot and the pilot rated passenger were both fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial fuselage damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a VFR flight plan. The local flight originated from the Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE), near Eagle, Colorado, about 0757.

Witnesses, who lived near the accident site, stated that the pilot flew over their houses. One witness, who was a friend of the pilot, indicated the pilot flew the airplane low enough to be identified as the pilot. The pilot performed a second flyby of the houses. One witness indicated that the airplane subsequently flew south and then climbed in a counter clockwise rotation. The airplane attempted to "go upside down" and fly to the west. The airplane descended below the witness's line of sight. His wife call 911 and he ran to the accident site where he waited for first responders. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 70, held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate with a single engine land airplane rating. A FAA third class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on August 30, 2012 with a restriction for near vision lenses. On the application for that medical certificate, he reported accumulating 1,180 hours total flight time with 15 hours accumulated in the previous six months. The pilot reported using Tamsulosin. The pilot recorded in his logbook that he had accumulated 1,200.1 hours of total flight time, 5.4 hours of flight time in the 90 days prior to the accident, 2.6 hours of flight time in the30 days prior to the accident, and 120.1 hours of flight time in the CJ-6.

The pilot rated passenger, age 69, held a commercial pilot certificate with single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. The passenger did not have a current medical certificate on file in FAA records. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONN2726C was a Nanchang CJ-6 airplane with serial number 5232007. The airplane was manufactured in 1991. Airworthiness records show that the airplane's amended special airworthiness certificate in the experimental exhibition category and purpose was issued on November 16, 2010. Records also indicated that the airplane was equipped with a M-14P radial engine with serial number KR322012, which drove a model number B530TA propeller.

The last yearly condition inspection was conducted on June 17, 2012. A logbook endorsement indicated the airplane had accumulated 2,697.18 hours total time. At the time of that inspection, the engine had accumulated 62.8 hours total time in service. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONAt 0750, the recorded weather at EGE was: