- Date
- October 9, 1999, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hudson, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N444YBKendall/Mckaughlin Rans S-10 Sakota
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 23, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19991009044949A
- Case key
- 47564
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
Inadequate preflight planning when the pilot failed to evaluate aircraft performance and weather. Factors were high density altitude, and unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Following initial takeoff, the aircraft could not climb out from the surrounding terrain and settled into the terrain. Density altitude at the time was 7,000 feet above mean sea level.
Factual narrative
On October 9, 1999, at 1100 mountain daylight time, a Kendall/McKaughlin Rans S-10 Sakota, N444YB, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during initial climb following takeoff from a private airstrip 5 miles east of Hudson, Colorado. The private pilot occupant was not injured. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. The planned destination was Jefferson County Airport, Broomfield, Colorado.
According to the pilot, he initiated several turns following takeoff due to terrain that the aircraft could not climb to clear. The pilot said the aircraft settled in a level attitude and struck soft terrain that caused the struts to penetrate the wings.
Density altitude at the time was approximately 7,000 feet above mean sea level.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N444YB
- Reported as
- Kendall/Mckaughlin Rans S-10 Sakota (RANS S-10)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- IJB
- Airframe hours
- 223
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert Mason
- Registered owner
- Jim Maclaughlin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 24, 1999 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- BJC · Broomfield, CO
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 831 total · 114 in this make and model · 697 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Observed at
- DEN, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N444YB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.