American Champion 7KCAB accident near Winter Park, Colorado, July 30, 2006
On July 30, 2006 at about 1:00 pm local time, a American Champion 7KCAB, registered N5232X, was destroyed in an accident near Winter Park, Colorado (Na airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to avoid a stall while maneuvering at a low altitude in mountainous terrain. Factors associated with the accident are the pilot's performance of a low altitude flight maneuver, an inadvertent stall/spin, and the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2006 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winter Park, Colorado · Na · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion 7KCAB
- Registration
- N5232X · no longer on the register · serial 210
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to family members, the pilot had flown to the vicinity of the continental divide and camped out in preparation for a flight over the divide the next day. On the accident flight, witnesses related that they saw the airplane fly over the divide, into mountainous terrain, circle around the divide, and fly towards a local lake. One witness said the airplane was so low he thought it was going to land on the lake. Another witness saw the airplane enter a bank at low altitude, at which time "the nose turned down and the airplane went straight down like it was hit with a fly swatter." An additional witness reported that the nose went down with the nose facing opposite the original direction of flight. Discussions with other pilots and her former aerobatic instructor, disclosed that the pilot liked to perform aerobatics, and fly at a low altitude over steep terrain. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed impact signatures consistent with a loss of control and a stall/spin. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomaly was discovered.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 852 hours in all; 115 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 586 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Crew member
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,146 hours in all; 1,085 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,892.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2005; 51.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 20V Kremmling CO at 12:30 pm
- Destination: 1V5 Boulder CO
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.50 inHg
- Observation at 1:10 pm from CCU, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.