Amateur-built TUKAN accident near Erie, Colorado, January 18, 2018
On January 18, 2018 at about 11:05 pm local time, a 2000 amateur-built TUKAN (weight-shift aircraft), registered N907T, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Erie, Colorado (Erie Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s inadvertent shutting off of the fuel valve while on approach, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2018 · about 11:05 pm local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · Erie Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TUKAN NO SERIES, built 2000
- Registration
- N907T · no longer on the register · serial 11760
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot conducted seven takeoffs and landings on a dual instructional flight in the weight-shift-controlled aircraft. The aircraft was operating normally. After the dual instruction, the aircraft was taxied back to a hangar, where the instructor explained single-pilot operations to the student. The student pilot then took off solo. The instructor observed that the student pilot seemed to lose control on his first final approach and executed a go-around. On the second approach, the instructor observed the aircraft on final; it collided with trees and the wing struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the aircraft did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot indicated that, while securing the aircraft after the accident, he realized that he had inadvertently shut off the fuel valve while on the downwind leg instead of activating the carburetor heat. He stated that the two systems had similar push/pull control knobs that were positioned next to each other in the cockpit.
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 landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 741.7 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ama/Expr UNKNOWN ENG (piston); 742 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EIK Erie CO at 11:00 pm
- Destination: EIK Erie CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 4,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from EIK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on December 23, 2019. 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 | Memorandum for the Record Pilot Statement CEN18CA080 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record Instuctor Pilot Statement CEN18CA080 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for the Record Witness Statement CEN18CA080 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for the Record FAA Inspector Statement CEN18CA080 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Carburetor Icing Probability Chart CEN18CA080 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array CEN18CA080 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.