Tragedy in Fort Morgan, Colorado

Tragedy in Fort Morgan, Colorado

As you’ve surely heard, tragedy struck this summer at IAC Chapter 12’s contest in Fort Morgan, Colorado. An Extra and a Cessna collided on short final, resulting in an accident that destroyed both aircraft. The Extra has just completed an aerobatic flight in the contest box. The Cessna was on a practice approach.

Sadly, IAC competitor Kristen Morris lost her life. Competitor David Shangraw was injured. Thankfully, the two occupants of the Cessna escaped with minor injuries.

I’ve spoken with many of the people who were present for the accident, and I can attest that contest staff had the equipment and preparedness necessary to give Kristen the best possible chance of survival. In some accidents, there is just nothing people on the ground can do, and this was one of those cases. If you were there, take comfort that you did all you could.

Still, it’s often said that every accident is the final link in a long chain of events, so this tragedy gives every IACer cause to reflect. Pilots, think about how you can safely reintegrate into the pattern after an aerobatic flight, possibly while full of adrenaline. Chief Judges, think about how you can improve your awareness and communication about the traffic pattern as competitors leave the aerobatic box. Contest Directors, think about what you can do to ensure that your contest attendees and officials have all the equipment and preparation they might need in an emergency. Safety Directors, update your Incident Response Plan.

Incident Response Plan

Speaking of Incident Response Plan, make sure that you are prepared for a post-accident fuel fire. Ensure that your emergency kit includes good fire proof clothing including at least gloves and a jacket. Make sure you have plenty of fire extinguishers and some kinds of tools to gain entry into an airplane with a collapsed canopy. An axe would not hurt. And consider that if an airplane is upside down, it may not be possible to flip it over with manpower, especially if the accident area is on fire or even just very hot. A truck with a winch will do the job a lot better than human hands.

Also consider recommending to contest pilots that they do not carry excess fuel. We are all concerned about not having enough fuel, but carrying excess fuel can also be dangerous. It’s up to each pilot to determine the right amount of fuel to ensure the aircraft will be able to reach an alternate landing area, while also making sure there aren’t many unnecessary unspent gallons ready to combust if the aircraft flips over.

There is nothing we can do to completely eliminate the risk of an accident, but take time to reflect and discuss this topic. Reach out to me if you have ideas or if you can think of anything we should be doing better.

Post-Contest Paperwork

I need your help with something.

Following each contest, Contest Directors are required to send in certain paperwork along with their sanction fees. The receipt of this paperwork is important to the IAC.

Copies of every jury decision made at your contest must be sent in with your paperwork, including copies of any sequences that were modified.

Every year in my capacity as Contest Sanctioning Chair, I ask the Executive Director to send me copies of all the jury decisions and changed sequences so I can evaluate what areas of the IAC operations need improvement.

It’s come to my attention that Contest Directors are sometimes not sending this paperwork in. I know this for certain because I sometimes get calls about complicated jury issues, and sometimes when I look for the paperwork after the contest, I find it isn’t there!

In fact, in the middle of the 2025 contest season I asked the Executive Director for copies of all jury issues so far, and he informed me there were none. That would be great news if it was true, but I’m skeptical.

It bugs me because I’m also the one who fields occasional complaints about how our sequence design is lacking or how the rule book is unclear. How can we improve given only vague suggestions? We need to know specifics about these problems.

Do me a favor and make sure you don’t throw the protest forms and other contest paperwork in the trash after your contest. Send it all in.

About Changing Sequences

The rule book allows the jury to change sequences for legality or safety. If a change must be made, it must be the smallest possible change. Keep in mind that there might be other contests using the same sequences and we want things to be fair across the country.

Note that changing sequences for “safety” does not mean that juries should modify sequences simply to make them easier, or for the benefit specific aircraft types. IAC Unknown sequences are designed to be challenging.

Sixth Category

I’m really excited to see that our VP, Phillip Gragg, has run with the ideas I presented to the board for a sixth category.

Some of you may recall that we did a trial run of a “Legacy” category a while back. The initial reception was positive, but it didn’t catch on. What separates that idea from this one is that the Legacy category was basically just the Intermediate category with a lower floor, whereas the sixth category idea is meant to add a step between Intermediate and Advanced. Many competitors comment that the gap between Intermediate and Advanced is too big.

It also attempts to provide an additional category suited to the many aerobatic aircraft that cannot be safely flown in the Advanced category. Occasionally, competitors complain that Intermediate is too easy but Advanced is not flyable in their aircraft.

Lastly, this concept is meant to address the concerns of Advanced pilots who would like their category to continue to evolve. Currently, the IAC’s Advanced category is slightly simpler than the equivalent CIVA category flown in world competitions. The thinking is that if there were a new category in between Intermediate and Advanced, then the Advanced category could be kept in alignment with our partners on the world stage.

Make sure to read Phillip’s article and contact him if you have any thoughts.

Closing

Thanks again for reading another President’s Page. I’m here for you for anything IAC related. Drop me a note at president@iac.org.