Bell EAA BIPLANE P accident near Manzanola, Colorado, October 2, 1996
On October 2, 1996 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Bell EAA BIPLANE P, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N145DB, was destroyed in an accident near Manzanola, Colorado (Ghilarducci Farm airport). 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
failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance above the terrain, while performing a low altitude maneuver. A factor relating to the accident was the pilot's lack of familiarity with this make and model of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1996 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Manzanola, Colorado · Ghilarducci Farm · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell EAA BIPLANE P EAA BIPLAN, amateur-built
- Registration
- N145DB · registry record · serial DB-1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses said the biplane flew over the farm airstrip at an estimated altitude of 300 to 400 feet. One witness stated that the pilot started 'what appeared to be an aileron roll, but stopped halfway and peeled off to the left in a shallow dive but didn't have enough altitude to pull out.' Another witness said that the pilot 'began rolling the aircraft right wing down about 3/4 of a roll then the front of the plane dropped' and disappeared from his view. The biplane struck the ground about 350 feet south of runway 27 on a westerly heading. Ground scars from impact were found over a 150 foot area. An investigation disclosed no evidence of a preimpact malfunction or failure of the airframe, flight controls, engine, or propeller. The 739-hour pilot had recently graduated from an aerial application school and was employed as a first season aerial applicator. He had previously flown the biplane three times and had an estimated 3.0 hours of flight time in this make/model of aircraft.
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
- Flight time: 739 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 215 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 663 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1996; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,161 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from LHX, 24 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N145DB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bell 3,080 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-11 2,126 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,486 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW97FA002.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.