- Date
- November 10, 2001, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Evans, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6925Esbenshade Starduster Too SA300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 6, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20011110031039A
- Case key
- 53756
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance of the wires. A contributing factor was the trees the airplane struck while the pilot was attempting to regain aircraft control.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot said that he descended from 6,500 feet mean sea level for a "scenic flight" along the river (elevation 4,671 feet). He struck a wire and during the subsequent recovery attempt, he impacted several trees. All four wings were bent, the engine separated from its mounts, and the fuselage was wrinkled.
Factual narrative
On November 10, 2001, at approximately 1200 mountain standard time, an Esbenshade Starduster Too SA300 homebuilt airplane, N6925, was destroyed when it impacted a transmission wire, and subsequently struck several trees near Evans, Colorado. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that originated approximately 20 minutes prior to the accident, and was en route to Boulder, Colorado. The pilot did not file a flight plan.
The pilot said that he descended from 6,500 feet mean sea level for a "scenic flight" along the river (elevation 4,671 feet). He struck a wire and during the subsequent recovery attempt, he impacted several trees. All four wings were bent, the engine separated from its mounts, and the fuselage was wrinkled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6925
- Reported as
- Esbenshade Starduster Too SA300
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- E-1
- Airframe hours
- 309
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert J. Bauer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2001 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- GXY · Greeley, CO
- Destination
- 1V5 · Boulder, CO
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- June 12, 2001
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 425 total · 60 in this make and model · 381 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- GXY, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.