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CEN14CA160

2014-03-14 · De Beque, Colorado, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering at low altitude.

Factual narrative

The pilot had been maneuvering at low altitude below the rim of a canyon in a remote mountainous area and reported that he had done this aerial survey operation in this same canyon several times before. During climb-out from the canyon the airplane failed to achieve enough climb performance to clear the ridge and the airplane impacted terrain at about 8,500 feet mean sea level. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the airplane including the complete separation of the left wing and partial separation of the right wing. The airplane came to rest upright and there was a significant fuel spill, but no postimpact fire. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot also reported that in the future he should maintain a higher altitude for flight over the canyon. The pilot had been maneuvering at low altitude below the rim of a canyon in a remote mountainous area and reported that he had done this aerial survey operation in this same canyon several times before. During climb-out from the canyon the airplane failed to achieve enough climb performance to clear the ridge and the airplane impacted terrain at about 8,500 feet mean sea level. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the airplane including the complete separation of the left wing and partial separation of the right wing. The airplane came to rest upright and there was a significant fuel spill, but no postimpact fire. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot also reported that in the future he should maintain a higher altitude for flight over the canyon. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Climb rate-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_CEN14CA160.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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