- Date
- January 29, 2026, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alpine, WY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N59SEAmerican Champion 8KCAB
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern base: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20260129010969A
- Case key
- 202381
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 inadvertent descent while operating in flat light conditions which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
At the conclusion of an uneventful flight, the pilot returned to the departure airport and entered the airport traffic pattern. The pilot stated that after he turned onto the base leg for the runway, he unknowingly lost depth perception and flew into the snow-covered terrain due to the “flat light” conditions. During the accident sequence, the airplane nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to the rudder, vertical stabilizer, and both wings. The pilot added that the terrain surrounding his base leg of the traffic pattern was a dry lakebed covered in snow, the sky was overcast, and there were no shadows. He further stated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59SE
- Reported as
- American Champion 8KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1004-2005
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 599.2
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 2022
- Departed
- 46U · Alpine, WY
- Airport
- 46U · Alpine, runway 13, 5,827 × 70 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Unknown
- Last flight review
- August 31, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,130.8 total · 217.7 in this make and model · 3,130.8 as pilot in command · 13.8 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.39 inHg
- Observed at
- KAFO, 30 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAFO 292135Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT036 BKN070 01/M07 A3039 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 41.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.