- Date
- August 13, 2025, 10:40 local (16:40 UTC)
- Place
- Parker, CO · runway
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N29JMVans RV14
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 19, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20250813011019A
- Case key
- 200827
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
Separation of the right landing gear wheel assembly during landing.
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
The pilot reported that the flight and approach for landing were uneventful. He executed a wheel landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane without any difficulties. However, during touchdown, he heard a “thunk” which, in hindsight, was the right landing gear wheel assembly separating from the strut. The airplane continued about 35 feet until the right landing gear strut contacted the ground and the airplane veered to the right and nosed over. The airframe sustained damage to the left wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. A post-accident examination of the airplane confirmed that the right wheel assembly had separated from the landing gear strut. The four attachment bolts were retained by the wheel assembly and were bent. The corresponding nuts were not recovered. Damage to the landing gear strut was consistent with contact to the ground following separation of the wheel assembly. No evidence of a failure of the landing gear strut was observed. Similarly, there was no indication that the attachment hardware failed to perform as intended. It is possible that the bolt torque was insufficient on installation or that the bolts loosened for another reason during operation. Once compromised, the nuts ultimately came off the bolts which allowed the wheel assembly to separate from the strut.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29JM
- Reported as
- Vans RV14
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 141081
- Built
- 2025
- Airframe hours
- 15
- Engine
- Lycoming YIO-390, 215 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 15, 2025 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- PUB · Pueblo, CO
- Destination
- 1CO8 · Parker, CO
- Airport
- 1CO8 · Everitt, runway 23, 2,500 × 50 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 58
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 20, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 22,710 total · 17 in this make and model · 5,400 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KAPA, 9 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAPA 131653Z 00000KT 10SM FEW140 FEW220 31/02 A3012
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 19, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 111 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.