Accident Details
On February 23, 2010, at approximately 1500 mountain standard time, a Champion 7KCAB, registration N5065X, operated by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when the fabric on the upper right wing tore off while the airplane was being maneuvered near Greeley, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at Greeley around 1430.
According to the pilot's accident report, he was practicing steep turns around a point at 7,500 feet msl. During one of the turns, he heard an unusual sound and observed something falling away from the aircraft. He then noticed a piece of fabric flapping in the slipstream at the trailing edge of the right aileron. The airplane developed a slight sink rate, but the engine and flight controls operated normally. He returned to Greeley and made an uneventful landing.
Inspection Findings
Post-flight inspection disclosed that nearly 80 percent of the fabric on the top of the right wing had separated. Several ribs were damaged when the rivets separated with the fabric, and several other ribs were distorted from the slipstream.
Aircraft History
The airplane had been used for fish spotting in Alaska. According to maintenance records, the airframe was last recovered on July 21, 2003, at a total time of 3,894.0 hours. Fabric punch tests conducted since that recovering had been satisfactory.
Reporting Delay
The Denver NTSB was notified of this accident on April 10, 2010. The pilot offered no explanation as to why he did not report the accident promptly in accordance with Title 49 CFR 830.5(a).