Amateur-built Kitfox IV N125TY accident near Loma, Colorado

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 analysis

The private pilot departed on a cross-country, personal flight, and during the flight, he chose to fly at low altitude over a river. The pilot reported that, after passing over a group of river rafters about 500 ft above ground level, he "dropped [the airplane] low to the river." Shortly after descending, the airplane's vertical stabilizer struck a cableway that crossed over the river. The pilot lost airplane control, and the airplane subsequently impacted 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 ft. 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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN18LA303 for the full record.