Champion 7GCBC N90990

Summary

On 5 August 2018 at about 14:30 local time, a Champion 7GCBC registered N90990 was involved in an accident near Wiley, 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.

Date

5 August 2018 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wiley, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.1978, -102.7747

Aircraft

Champion 7GCBC

Registration

N90990

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lamar → Wiley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA316

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain proper clearance from the sprinkler guy-wire, which resulted in the airplane’s collision with the wire during a visual approach to landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a day visual approach to landing on his airstrip; he stated that everything seemed normal on the descent. However, he noted that the agricultural irrigation pivot sprinkler had stopped with the sprinkler's last pipe, or "overhang pipe," over the runway. The pilot thought that he was high enough to clear the sprinkler overhang pipe and had "no idea" that the airplane was not going to clear the guy-wires that supported the sprinkler overhang pipe, and the right landing gear tire struck a guy-wire that was about 10 ft higher than the sprinkler overhang pipe. The airplane's nose subsequently impacted terrain, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.