- Date
- September 4, 2010, 21:00 local (Sep 5, 2010, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Post-impact
- Aircraft
- N16LHBeech E-90
- Defining event
- Post-impact: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 77310
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to ensure that the airplane’s parking brake was properly set before diverting his attention to other tasks.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Following a night landing, the pilot taxied to the ramp and was marshaled into a parking space by ground crew personnel. The pilot stopped the twin-engine airplane and set the parking brake before continuing with other checklist items. Unbeknownst to the pilot, the airplane began to roll forward until it impacted a tug and ground power unit, located approximately 25 feet across the ramp. During the impact, the nose landing gear collapsed and the nose of the airplane came to rest on the rear of the tug, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
Following a night landing the pilot taxied to the ramp and was marshaled into a parking space by ground crew personnel. The pilot stopped the twin-engine airplane and set the parking brake before continuing with other checklist items. Unbeknownst to the pilot, the airplane with engines still running began to roll forward until it impacted a tug and ground power unit (GPU), located approximately 25 feet across the ramp. During impact the nose landing gear collapsed and the nose of the airplane came to rest on the rear of the tug. The pilot immediately shut down both engines, and he along with the three passengers exited the airplane unassisted. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane and reported that the airplane’s forward fuselage had sustained structural damage during the accident. No anomalies were noted with the airplane's systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16LH
- Reported as
- Beech E-90
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LW-217
- Airframe hours
- 4,170
- Engines
- P&W Canada PT6A-60A, 1,050 horsepower, turbo propP&W Canada PT6A-60A, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sundance Farms Inc.
- Registered owner
- Cape Lookout Marine Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 5, 2010
- Departed
- ONO · Ontario, OR
- Destination
- COS · Colorado Springs, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- COS · Colorado Springs Municipal
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 2, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,444 total · 220 in this make and model · 5,480 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Observed at
- COS
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 9, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.