The pilot departed on a cross-country, personal flight in a Kitfox IV. During the flight, he chose to fly at low altitude over a river near Loma, Colorado.
After passing over a group of river rafters about 500 feet above ground level, he “dropped low to the river.”
Shortly after descending, the airplane’s vertical stabilizer struck a cableway that crossed over the river.
The pilot lost control, and the airplane hit the side of the river canyon and then came to rest partially submerged in the river.
The cableway was supported by two fixed A-frame structures located on the sides of the riverbank, and the cable height at its center above the water’s surface was 32 feet.
The pilot likely was not properly monitoring the environment during the low-altitude operation, which resulted in his failure to see and avoid the cableway.
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper decision to conduct a low-altitude flight over a river and his inadequate monitoring of the environment, which resulted in a collision with a cableway.
NTSB Identification: CEN18LA303
This July 2018 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
