# Accident 20180731018459A: Buchanan KITFOX IV-1200, Loma, CO, July 31, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 31, 2018, 11:30 local time
- Place: Loma, CO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.1353° N, 109.0256° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.1353&lon=-109.0256&mi=10
- Aircraft: N125TY, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N125TY) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Buchanan KITFOX IV-1200 (registry code 05620OL, https://openairdocs.org/model/buchanan-kitfox-iv-1200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 582SER (registry code 55556, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582ser) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BUCHANAN KITFOX IV-1200
- Reported engine: ROTAX 582SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,240 total, 814 in this make and model, 39 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN18LA303](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA303) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180731018459A

## Narrative

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

WHILE FLYING FROM GRAND JUNCTION, CO TO SAN DIEGO, CA PILOT LOW LEVELED 20 FEET OVER THE COLORADO RIVER THROUGH A CANYON BETWEEN LOMA, CO AND MACK, CO AND STRUCK A ZIP LINE. HIT SIDE OF CANYON WALL AND SLID DOWN APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET INTO THE RIVER. RESCUED BY RAFTERS AND TAKEN TO A SANDBAR IN WEST WATER, UT UNTIL MESA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT SHOWED UP THEN WAS AIR LIFTED TO ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL IN GRAND JUNCTION.

## 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 CEN18LA303](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA303), Jul 31, 2018: Buchanan Kitfox IV (N125TY), Loma, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper decision to conduct a low-altitude flight over a river and his inadequate monitoring of the environment, which resulted in a collision with a cableway.

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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