20010124001929A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Aero Vodochody L39CT · Watkins, CO · January 24, 2001

Date: January 24, 2001 · 11:27 local
Place: Watkins, CO
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N602MC
NTSB investigation: NTSBDEN01FA044
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2

N602MCRegistration cancelled May 19, 2015 · Aero Vodochody L39CTS/N 135234 · Built 1996 Airframe modelAero Vodochody L39CT Engine modelIvchenko AL-25SERIESTurbo-fan

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) According to witnesses, the airplane departed runway 26, and turned crosswind for a southbound departure. Witnesses observed something flying from the a/c. a search of the field along the flight path prior to impact revealed pieces of plexiglass from canopy, and the rear seat occupants headphone and hat. The airplane was observed to pitch-up approx. 30 degrees, and drop immediately to the ground. The impact with terrain destroyed the airplane.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED RUNWAY 26, AND TURNED CROSSWIND FOR A SOUTHBOUND DEPARTURE. WITNESSES OBSERVED SOMETHING FLYING FROM THE A/C. A SEARCH OF THE FIELD ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH PRIOR TO IMPACT REVEALED PIECES OF PLEXIGLASS FROM CANOPY, AND THE REAR SEAT OCCUPANTS HEADPHONE AND HAT. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO PITCH-UP APPROX. 30 DEGREES, AND DROP IMMEDIATELY TO THE GROUND. THE IMPACT WITH TERRAIN DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB DEN01FA044Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportWatkins, COThe pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control, and the subsequent inadvertent stall/mush. Factors were the pilot's diverted attention due to the failure of the rear canopy's acrylic transparency and the loss of communication with his back seat passenger,…Jan 24, 2001 · Destroyed