Amateur-built WORLOCH accident near Lucerne, Colorado, May 6, 1993
On May 6, 1993 at about 11:50 pm local time, a amateur-built WORLOCH, registered N3201K, was destroyed in an accident near Lucerne, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
LOSS OF CONTROL IN FLIGHT. A FACTOR WAS: THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 1993 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lucerne, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WORLOCH
- Registration
- N3201K · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE REQUIRED CONSIDERABLE LEFT RUDDER IN MOST FLIGHT ATTITUDES, SO THE PILOT FABRICATED A PART TO INCREASE THE ANGLE ON INCIDENCE BY OFFSETTING THE LEADING EDGE OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. AFTER INSTALLING THE PART, HE TOOK OFF ON A TEST FLIGHT AND HIS PARTNER FOLLOWED IN A CHASE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A SHALLOW DESCENT AND YAW SLIGHTLY ABOUT ITS VERTICAL AXIS, ALSO DESCRIBED AS SHALLOW DUTCH ROLLS. THE PILOT SAID HE HAD A PROBLEM AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE FABRICATED PART WAS NEVER FOUND. A SMALL HOLE HAD BEEN DRILLED THROUGH THE TUBE WHERE THE LEADING EDGE OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER ATTACHES, BUT NO HOLE HAD BEEN DRILLED THROUGH THE MATING TUBE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT A PIN HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SAFETIED THROUGH THIS HOLE. IF COULD NOT BE DETERMINED IF THE PILOT HAD INSERTED THE PIN PRIOR TO TAKING OFF. LOAD CARRYING BRACE WIRES BENEATH THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS WERE FOUND STRETCHED IN TENSION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 124 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 97 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GXY Greeley CO at 11:15 pm
- Destination: GXY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 N3201K 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.