# Accident 20150603008959A: Waco UPF-7, Montrose, CO, June 3, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 3, 2015, 07:00 local time
- Place: Montrose, CO
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2999° N, 107.9006° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2999&lon=-107.9006&mi=10
- Aircraft: N29943, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N29943-2018-03-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Waco UPF-7 (registry code 9601302, https://openairdocs.org/model/waco-upf-7) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental W670 series (registry code 17018, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-w670-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: WACO UPF-7
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR W670 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 5,467 total, 600 in this make and model, 14 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN15LA295](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA295) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150603008959A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED MONTROSE AIRPORT AND CIRCLED THE VALLEY TO GAIN ALTITUDE BEFORE TURNING EAST. APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES EAST OF MONTROSE, COLORADO THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED DOWN DRAFTS THAT WERE SINKING FASTER THAN THE AIRCRAFT COULD CLIMB.

THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO A MOUNTAIN FIELD WHERE IT STALLED AND SPUN AROUND ON THE LEFT WING COMING TO REST, UPRIGHT, AT THE BOTTOM OF A STEEP SLOPE. THE AIRCRAFT HAD MAJOR DAMAGE TO EVERYTHING BUT THE TAIL SECTION. THE PILOT HAD SERIOUS INJURIES AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN15LA295](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA295), Jun 3, 2015: Waco UPF 7 (N29943), Montrose, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to attain suitable altitude while flying over high mountainous terrain in downdraft conditions.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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