American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC accident near Greeley, Colorado, October 29, 2021
On October 29, 2021 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 2008 American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC, registered N125WB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Greeley, Colorado (Greeley-Weld County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 2021 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Greeley, Colorado · Greeley-Weld County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC, built 2008 · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N125WB · registry record · serial 505-2008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during landing with a slight crosswind, he was unable to maintain directional control and the airplane ground looped to the right, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. He reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation and that the accident may have been prevented with better control of the rudder and differential braking.
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 on ground during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,626 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 24, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,525 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 2021; 55 hours since
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G (piston); 1,525 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 4:00 pm
- Destination: GXY Greeley CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17/3, 10,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from KGXY
Weather report (METAR): KGXY 291956Z AUTO 09004KT 10SM CLR 21/M01 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP177 T02061006
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.
Other NTSB records under N125WB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CEN22LA028.