CEN26LA087

On January 11, 2026, at 1408 mountain standard time, a Stinson 108-3 airplane, N6725M, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Gypsum, Colorado. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, before the flight the airplane’s fuel system contained about 17 gallons that was evenly distributed between the left and right fuel tanks. He intended to takeoff and conduct a full stop landing at the unnamed private airstrip before continuing to Mc Elroy Airfield (20V), Kremling, Colorado. The pilot reported that the takeoff was to the southeast and he flew a teardrop pattern to return to land toward the northwest. As he maneuvered the airplane back toward the airstrip, he selected carburetor heat on, propeller control full forward, and kept the mixture setting leaned for the high-altitude engine operation. He subsequently turned off the carburetor heat when the airplane was on final approach and the landing was assured. The pilot increased the throttle a couple times after the airplane entered an area of sinking air associated with the canyons beneath the airplane’s flight path. He noted that these throttle responses were normal. However, during short final approach, about 25 ft above the ground, the airplane encountered additional sinking air and he “sharply” increased the throttle from near idle to an intermediate position. According to the pilot, the engine “coughed/sputtered” after he rapidly increased the throttle. The pilot reported that due to the low altitude of the airplane and its proximity to the runway, he continued at a higher-than-normal rate of descent toward the runway. The pilot attempted to flare the airplane as it approached the runway threshold, but it “pancaked” onto the runway and slid to a stop in a nose down pitch attitude. Based on law enforcement photos, the airplane contacted tree tops and then dispersed broken tree branches beneath the airplane’s flight path about 30 yards from where the airplane came to rest on the runway. The airplane’s welded steel-tube fuselage and engine mount sustained substantial damage during the hard landing. Both propeller blades exhibited impact-related damage consistent with propeller rotation at impact. A review of the airplane’s digital engine monitor data did not reveal any evidence of an engine malfunction during the 2 minute 36 second flight. However, due to the device’s 6-second recording interval there was insufficient data to confirm a loss of engine power before the hard landing and interruption of electrical power. The airplane wreckage was recovered to a secure storage facility for further examination.