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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2010 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2010
- 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
- Off-field or emergency landing during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
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 other cases naming the airframe structure
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
9 documents, released by the NTSB on September 30, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Passenger Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo - Wingtip | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo - Left Wing | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo - Wing Spar | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo - Utility Lines (Looking North) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photo - Utility Line Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7613X on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule M-6 81 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER 4,223 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Erie Municipal · departed from
- Everitt Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,485 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10FA162.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.