Trammell AVID FLYER N7081M
20 August 2000 · Trinidad, Colorado, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 20 August 2000 at about 18:00 local time, a Trammell AVID FLYER registered N7081M was involved in an accident near Trinidad, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Trinidad, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.1597, -104.4999
- Aircraft
- Trammell AVID FLYER
- Registration
- N7081M
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN00LA155
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the failure of wing lift strut attachment rod for an unknown reason, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control during initial takeoff climb.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot said that on departure climb out, everything appeared normal. Suddenly, at 1,000 feet agl, he reported losing all flight control. He said the amateur built experimental airplane continued to turn to the left, and he had no elevator control. The airplane gradually spiraled down until it hit the ground. Postaccident examination revealed that the left lift strut tube threaded attachment rod had broken. The kit manufacturer said that there are approximately 1,700 airplanes flying that utilize this wing attachment assembly, and the manufacturer has no record of any similar failures. The pilot said that he built the airplane in 1989, and it was substantially damaged in 1991. He said that he purchased new wings and most of the hardware was replaced new. He said that he replaced the left strut attachment bracket on the rebuilt airplane. It was not determined why the left lift strut attachment rod failed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 2000 | Mooney M-20C | Boulder, Colorado, United States | Artell, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 30 Oct 2000 | Bell 206L-1 | Mesa Verde, Colorado, United States | U.s. Bureau of Reclamation | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 2000 | Piper PA-44-180T | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Aspen Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 8 Apr 2000 | Beechcraft A60 | Englewood, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2000 | Mooney M20J | Longmont, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 2000 | Piper PA-31-350 | Kiowa, Colorado, United States | Key Lime Air, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |