Boeing A75 accident near Delta, Colorado, September 17, 2021
On September 17, 2021 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 1940 Boeing A75, registered N19BB, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (aerobatics) near Delta, Colorado (Delta County Airport Blake Fie). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of control during an aerobatic maneuver, resulting in the airplane impacting terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2021 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Delta, Colorado · Delta County Airport Blake Fie · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75 NO SERIES, built 1940 · all A75s on the register
- Registration
- N19BB · registry record · serial 75-293
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off and proceeded to an area northeast of the airport where he began performing aerobatic maneuvers. Witnesses reported that the airplane began a loop maneuver and, at the top of the loop while inverted, the airplane entered a flat spin. They observed the airplane recover from the spin. The airplane then gained altitude and entered another loop. At the top of that loop, while inverted, the airplane entered another flat spin, but this time the pilot did not recover. The airplane descended to impact with rugged terrain. The witnesses reported that the engine could be heard running during the descent to the point of impact. A postaccident examination revealed no preaccident failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had used the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine, which has a potential to cause cognitive and psychomotor slowing and drowsiness. There was insufficient evidence to determine whether the pilot was experiencing impairing diphenhydramine effects at the time of the crash, and no specific evidence that pilot impairment contributed to the crash.
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 maneuvering (aerobatics) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,104 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,872.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 2021
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R985-AN1 (piston); 2,513 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 am from KAJZ, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAJZ 171355Z Auto 08003KT 10SM 15/M02 A3022 RMK A02 T01471023
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 August 23, 2023. 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 | Witness Statement Matt Green | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statement, Isaac Berry | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Summary of Airplane Recovery and Examination | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Photos | PDF, 8 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Medical Factual Report | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
Other NTSB records under N19BB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.