Accident Details
On September 8, 2024, at 1533 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCAA airplane, registration N36008, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Rifle, Colorado. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight.
Pilot Account
The owner had recently taken ownership of the airplane and hired a pilot to relocate it from California to Colorado. The pilot departed from Placerville Airport (PVF), Placerville, California, with fuel gauges showing about ¾ full. He landed at Yerington Municipal Airport (O43), Yerington, Nevada, and added 13.76 gallons of 100LL fuel, topping both tanks to 36 gallons total. He then flew to Richfield Municipal Airport (RIF), Richfield, Utah, where he added 27.71 gallons of 100LL, again filling the tanks completely. The final leg to Rifle Garfield County Airport (RIL) was planned for about 2.5 hours.
During the flight after crossing the Utah-Colorado border, the pilot experienced continuous updrafts and downdrafts, constant light turbulence, and occasional moderate turbulence. About 5 miles from the destination, the engine sputtered. The pilot checked carburetor heat, mixture setting, and confirmed the fuel selector valve was on. Fuel gauges were bouncing too much to read due to turbulence. Soon after, while flying above Interstate 70, the engine lost total power. The pilot maneuvered north of I-70 and intended to land on a north-south dirt road. While turning onto final approach, he noticed power lines and pitched up to avoid a collision. The airplane entered an aerodynamic stall about 200 feet above ground level (agl), impacted terrain in a nose-low attitude, and nosed over. The pilot egressed and was assisted by bystanders and first responders, instructing them to turn off electrical switches.
Postaccident Examination
A local pilot and airport manager, notified about 2 hours later, observed a ground scar about 20 feet from the wreckage and the airplane inverted. No fuel smell or leaking fuel was noted; fuel caps remained secure with no fuel visible in the tanks. The airplane was recovered eight days later. Recovery personnel stated fuel caps were secure, fuel tanks intact, and no fuel leaking. About 2 gallons of fuel were removed from the system. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a fuel system leak or blue fuel staining. Fuel tank filler caps were not vented and appeared in good condition. Wings had been removed during recovery, with several small holes in fabric but fuel tanks intact. Fuel lines had been disconnected during recovery but were free of obstruction. The engine remained attached; one propeller blade was bent from the accident sequence. An engine test run was completed, but due to the bent blade, not to full power. No preimpact anomalies were noted during examination and engine test run.
Fuel and Flight Track Analysis
The pilot used Foreflight, which recorded flight track logs: first leg 44 minutes, second leg 3 hours 7 minutes, final leg 1 hour 58 minutes. The final log showed that at 1527, about 12 miles from RIL and 3,300 feet agl, the airplane made a left 360° turn and descended to about 2,300 feet agl. It continued east toward RIL and descended. At 1532, while crossing I-70 at 200 feet agl, it made a gradual left turn, cleared power lines at 100 feet agl, and came to rest about 100 yards east of the dirt road.
Fuel receipts showed the pilot added 13.76 gallons before the second leg, stating tanks full, and 27.71 gallons at the final stop, again stating full. A fuel consumption calculation for the second leg indicated a burn rate of about 9 gallons per hour. Using this rate, over 16 gallons should have remained at the accident site (1 gallon unusable). The engine tachometer recorded 1,251.69 hours at first flight start, 1,252.54 before second leg, and 1,257.98 at the accident site, totaling 6.29 hours of engine operating time. The most recent annual inspection was on October 4, 2023, at tach time 1,250.25 hours, with no unresolved discrepancies.
The airplane was not operating in atmospheric conditions conducive to carburetor icing.