Aeronca 7AC accident near Parker, Colorado, July 15, 2006
On July 15, 2006 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Aeronca 7AC, registered N85086, was destroyed in an accident near Parker, Colorado (Everitt airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering resulting in an inadvertent stall and subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing factors were the high density altitude, rising terrain, and improper in-flight planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2006 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Parker, Colorado · Everitt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N85086 · registry record · serial 7AC-3815
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to takeoff, the flight instructor and student discussed the direction of takeoff before the flight, and they elected to takeoff on runway 22, since the tailwind component was too strong for runway 4. They also discussed "a go/no go location on the strip where [they] would abort if not off the ground by that point." The instructor reported "the run-up was normal and everything seemed in order." The takeoff was normal and the airplane was airborne before the decision point. The airplane was "climbing out upslope, everything seemed normal as the student flew, until he said he might need some help." The instructor reported the airplane had stopped climbing and "the ridge was getting closer." Subsequently, they attempted a shallow bank at a direction 90 degrees from their original course. At that point, " the left wing dipped and we lost control." The instructor reported "we were slow and not very high, so there was not much momentum built up before we struck first the left wing tip, followed by the right wing and airplane." He also reported the engine had been operating normally throughout the flight, and there were no anomalies noted with the handling of the airplane. The calculated density altitude near the airport at the time of the accident was 8,675 feet.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,821 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,762 as pilot in command; 1,064 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 46 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,297 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1CO8 Parker CO at 1:50 pm
- Destination: 1CO8 Parker CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,200 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from APA, 10 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.