Waco UPF 7 accident near Montrose, Colorado, June 3, 2015
On June 3, 2015 at about 1:15 pm local time, a 1940 Waco UPF 7, registered N29943, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Montrose, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain suitable altitude while flying over high mountainous terrain in downdraft conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2015 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Montrose, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF 7 NO SERIES, built 1940 · all UPF 7s on the register
- Registration
- N29943 · no longer on the register · serial 5441
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in the single-engine vintage airplane. The flight originated from an airport with an elevation of 5,758 ft mean sea level (msl). The pilot reported that the surface wind at the airport was 15 knots at takeoff. He added that the airplane reached an altitude of 8,500 ft msl, which he thought was sufficient to fly over the high, mountainous terrain. However, as the airplane neared higher terrain, it encountered a downdraft. The airplane's climb rate was not sufficient to overcome the effects of the downdraft, and the valley was too narrow to complete a turn to lower ground; the airplane subsequently impacted terrain. The pilot reported that it would have been safer if he had used better judgment and delayed approaching the higher terrain until he had climbed the airplane to more than 1,000 ft above the ground elevation. Additionally, given the 15-knot surface wind reported at the departure airport, it is likely that the wind aloft at 9,000 ft near the mountain pass where the accident occurred was much stronger. The pilot should have attained an altitude of 2,000 ft or more to ensure that the airplane had sufficient altitude to clear the pass's highest terrain.
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
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › High elevation › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,467 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 5,467 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 2015; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,640 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor W670 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Upf-7 LLC
The flight
- Departed from: MTJ Montrose CO at 12:40 pm
- Destination: CO15 Elbert CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 15 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 am from MTJ, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.