Maule M-6-235 accident near Bennett, Colorado, January 30, 2010
On January 30, 2010 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Maule M-6-235, registered N7613X, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Bennett, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a utility line while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2010 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bennett, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-6-235 · all M-6-235s on the register
- Registration
- N7613X · registry record · serial 7498C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was flying along a creek looking for a place to land and go hiking, when the pilot thought he had struck a tree. The pilot continued to fly for about 17 miles before landing at a privately owned airport and placed the airplane in a friend’s hangar. Authorities became aware of the accident about six weeks later after airplane parts were found by property owners along the creek near a utility line. The parts included the left wing tip, left aileron, and portions of a wing spar. Examination of the impact site and wreckage indicated the airplane impacted a single unpowered and unmarked utility line about 35 feet above the creek. The utility line crossed the creek perpendicularly and the creek bed was lined on both sides by trees up to about 60 feet tall.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Altitude deviation during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Part(s) separation from AC during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Off-field or emergency landing during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › Ailerons › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,947 hours in all; 164 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 25, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 821 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 23, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EIK Erie Municipal CO at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 1CO8 Parker CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from FTG, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN10FA162.