AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 8GCBC — Meeteetse, WY

What happened

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to fly to a predetermined location in a nearby national forest, locate the passenger’s relatives on the ground, and spread the ashes of the passenger’s recently deceased family member. After arriving at the location, they observed the family members on the ground, circled, and spread the ashes. After releasing the ashes, the pilot leveled the airplane and applied engine power. He stated that the airplane “reached an altitude where it could not climb” and that the airspeed was near stall speed. He did not recall the airplane’s altitude at the time it stopped climbing, and reported that due to his injuries, he did not recall any of the subsequent events of the flight.

ADS-B flight track data showed that the airplane departed the airport and flew in a southerly direction toward the national forest. The data depicted a series of heading and altitude changes that were consistent with the family member’s statement. The airplane then departed to the southwest along a valley toward an area of rising terrain. The airplane began to climb from about 8,550 ft mean sea level (msl) with a corresponding decrease in groundspeed until flight track data ended in the vicinity of the accident site. The airplane’s last recorded altitude and groundspeed was 9,625 ft msl and 63 knots, respectively.

A pilot-rated witness did not observe the accident sequence, but did hear a sputtering engine followed by the sound of the accident airplane impacting terrain with a “loud bang.” He then observed black smoke emanating from a group of trees about 3/4 mile from his location.

The airplane impacted mountainous terrain along the southern edge of a valley at an elevation of 9,850 ft mean sea level. All major structural components of the airplane were located near the main wreckage. The airplane was mostly consumed by post impact fire. The engine remained attached to the engine mount and fuselage. Thermal damage was observed throughout the engine from post impact fire. Disassembly of the engine revealed a slight bend on the crank shaft about mid span, consistent with impact damage.

Even though the witness report of a sputtering engine could not be corroborated due to the extensive thermal damage from the post-crash fire, ADS-B data indicated that the airplane continued to climb until the collision with rising terrain. Although the airplane’s climb performance could not be assessed, the airplane’s controlled flight into terrain was consistent with the pilot’s decision to continue the flight with the airplane approaching its maximum gross weight at a low altitude in a high-elevation, high-density-altitude environment.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.