Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On October 2, 1996, approximately 1615 mountain daylight time, a Darol EAA Biplane P, N145DB, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering two miles west of Manzanola, Colorado. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Manzanola, Colorado, approximately 15 minutes before the accident.

There were three known witnesses to the accident Witness no. 1 said the airplane flew east over his airstrip at an estimated altitude of 300 to 400 feet agl (above ground level). He said the pilot started "what appeared to be an aileron roll, but stopped halfway and peeled off to the left in a shallow dive but didn't have enough altitude to pull out." Witness no. 2 said the pilot "began rolling the aircraft right wing down about 3/4 of a roll, then the front of the plane dropped and...the aircraft (dove) belly side facing me (and) disappear behind a slope to our west." Witness no. 3 could not add substantively to the other witness' accounts.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

According to the pilot's logbook, 725.0 hours of his 739.1 total flight hours were in single engine airplanes, and 494.8 hours were in conventional landing gear airplanes. He had 384.6 total aerial application hours. He was employed by C&L Flying Service, and aerial applicator, of Rocky Ford, Colorado, on March 28, 1996. According to a C&L sokesman, this was the pilot's first spraying season, having recently graduated from Sam Riggs Aerial Applicator School in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Further examination of his logbook disclosed the pilot first flew N145DB on July 6, 1996, at Raton, New Mexico. Flight time was 30 minutes. The airplane had been recently purchased, and he was to ferry it from Raton to its new owner in Manzanola. He made the following entry: "Went to ferry small biplane. Very squirrelly. Engine ran rough. Late start, will go back." According to the pilot's father, his son later told him he did not want to fly a strange airplane into a strange airport as darkness approached.

The second flight occurred on July 20, when the pilot delivered the airplane at Manzanola via Trinidad, Colorado. He made the following entry: "Finally retrieved the plane, not enough power to be flying over mountain passes. Big pucker factor. I'm not impressed with its handling. Very tired, work, landed at Frank's. Told him to sell his new airplane." Total flight time was 2.0 hours.

The third flight was on October 1 at Manzanola. The pilot made the following entry: "Test flight. Went very well (more power than first try)." Total flight time was 36 minutes. His fourth flight in the airplane was on the following afternoon and resulted in the accident (see attachments).

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

Examination of the airplane maintenance records disclosed the airplane was built by James D. Bell of Benton, Ark