- Date
- June 6, 1993, 09:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Watkins, CO
- Injuries
- 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7129LGrumman American AA-5
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930606017029A
- Case key
- 18294
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
Spatial disorientation which prevented the pilot from maintaining control. A factor was: low ceiling.
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
After takeoff on an IFR cross country flight, the pilot commenced a 180 degree turn after entering the clouds at 300 feet AGL. The instruments indicated differently than his physiological senses and he was unable to maintain control of the aircraft which descended in a spiral and collided with the ground approximately two miles from the takeoff airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7129L
- Reported as
- Grumman American AA-5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5-0629
- Airframe hours
- 3,145
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2G, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Advanced Aviation
- Registered owner
- Scott, Carl
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1993 · 101 hours before
- Destination
- DDC · Dodge City, KS
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 803 total · 41 in this make and model · 740 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTG, 2 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.