Adams AIRBORNE AUSTRALIA O N7068U
26 August 2007 · Taos, New Mexico, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 26 August 2007 at about 01:40 local time, a Adams AIRBORNE AUSTRALIA O registered N7068U was involved in an accident near Taos, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Taos, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.3417, -104.7333
- Aircraft
- Adams AIRBORNE AUSTRALIA O
- Registration
- N7068U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Taos → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN07LA145
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional low altitude flight in a confined area and an inadvertent stall/spin. Contributing factors in this accident were the blind/box canyon and the aircraft's low airspeed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Several hikers saw the airplane fly past them at low altitude and into a gorge. They videotaped the pilot waving at them. They said the airplane disappeared below the lip of the gorge, and then they heard the sound of impact. Several hikers climbed down the canyon wall and proceeded to the wreckage while others notified authorities. The accident site was approximately 300 feet above the canyon floor. Examination of the airplane revealed it was either turning or spinning at the moment of impact. Flight control continuity was established and no systems anomalies were noted. Another pilot said he noticed mountain wave-type winds in that area of the canyon, making turbulence likely. The accident pilot had flown in the canyon before, and was known to fly at low airspeeds and altitudes. The pilot had been warned by other pilots that it was not safe to fly in the canyon in a light aircraft.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 2007 | Cessna T210M | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Dec 2007 | Cessna 310 | Glenwood, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 9 Jul 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Rotorspins LLC | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 2007 | Johnson F11C-2PJ | Deming, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Mar 2007 | Ogden Aubrey D BD-4 | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 2007 | Piper PA-28R-201T | Taos, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |