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DEN89LA226

1989-09-30 · HUDSON, Colorado, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N8607K

Make / Model
UNIVERSAL STINSON 108-1
Year of manufacture
1947 · 42 years old at event
Engine
FRANKLIN 6A4150 SERIES (150 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560119
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ABD22E

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE ALFALFA CROP.

Factual narrative

THE PLT (PIC) & THE PREVIOUS OWNER/PLT (PAX) WERE FLYLING THE ACFT FOR FAMILIARIZATION. THEY TOOK OFF TO THE SOUTH WITH THE WIND FROM 180 DEG AT 15 GUSTING 20 KTS. DENSITY ALT WAS APRX 7600 FT. THE PAX SAID THAT DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL, THE PLANE ENTERED A 'DOWNDRAFT.' THE PIC SAID THE ACFT BEGAN A DSCNT WITH A HIGH SINK RATE. ALSO, HE SAID THE ENG RPM 'STARTED TO DECREASE' & THE ENG LOST POWER. THE PAX SAID THE ENG SOUNDED LIKE IT 'LOADED UP' DURING THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE DOWNDRAFT, BUT THAT IT CONTD RUNNING. THE PLT MANEUVERED THE ACFT TO THE RIGHT TO LAND IN AN ALFALFA FIELD. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT NOSED OVER & CAME TO REST INVERTED. A POST-ACDNT EXAM OF THE ENG PROVIDED NO EVIDENCE TO EXPLAIN THE RPRTD LOSS OF POWER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_DEN89LA226.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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