# NTSB DEN00LA088: Beech V35B, N6643Q, Erie, CO, May 13, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 13, 2000, 14:14 local (20:14 UTC) - Place: Erie, CO - Coordinates: 40.020168, -105.040969 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0202&lon=-105.0410&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 4, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 49190 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN00LA088 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/49190/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00LA088 ## Probable cause Inadvertent cut off of the mixture by the pilot. Factors were: The passenger door opening, the pilot's inexperience in make and model, and rough, uneven terrain in the landing area. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Miscellaneous/other, climb - to cruise - door,passenger - open - precautionary landing - initiated, pilot in command - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, emergency descent/landing - mixture control - activated (cause) - mixture - inadvertent use, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - Undershoot, emergency descent/landing - Wheels up landing, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) ## Analysis During climb to cruise on a cross-country flight the passenger door came open and the pilot made a precautionary approach for landing at an airport along his route. After initiating descent for landing, the pilot discovered that the engine had lost all power. The landing was made short of the intended runway with the landing gear retracted. Following the landing, and evacuation of the aircraft by the pilot and his passengers, witnesses found the cockpit fully configured for flight with the throttle and propeller controls full forward and the magnetos and master switch on. However, the mixture was in the cutoff position. Examination and testing of the passenger door revealed no abnormalities. The flight was the pilot's first flight after being signed off as competent to perform as pilot in command in this make and model aircraft. He had accumulated approximately 4 hours flight experience in the aircraft with a total flight time of 207 hours all in single engine land airplanes. ## Factual narrative On May 13, 2000, at 1414 mountain daylight time, a Beech V35B, N6643Q, owned and operated by Ten High Flyers, Inc., Lakewood, Colorado, lost all power during a precautionary approach for landing and the pilot made an emergency landing at Tri-County Airport, Erie, Colorado. The private pilot and his three passengers were not injured; however, the aircraft sustained substantial damage when it landed short of the runway with the landing gear in the retracted position. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and a VFR (visual flight rules) flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this personal flight which departed Jefferson County Airport, Broomfield, Colorado, at 1355 for a flight to Hastings, Nebraska. According to a representative of the flying club, who owned and operated the aircraft, the pilot was a "new" pilot to the aircraft and this was his first flight after being signed off as competent for pilot-in-command in the V35B. The representative said, "he met our club requirements for checkout (180 hours tt [total time], at least 3 hours dual, 2 rides on 2 different days, and finished his checkout on Wednesday, May 10." According to the information supplied by the pilot, he had approximately 4 hours experience in this make and model, and 207 hours total flight experience, all of which was in single engine land airplanes. According to the pilot, the flight departed Jefferson County Airport (BJC) and was cleared for a northbound departure heading at approximately 6,200 feet above mean sea level (msl). The pilot said he continued north towards Tri-County Airport and leveled off at 6,500 feet msl. He said that as he was adjusting power for cruise flight the passenger door came open. When that event occurred the pilot said he turned toward Tri-County Airport which was approximately 3 miles away. Shortly thereafter, during descent, the pilot realized he did not have power and that he was approximately 1,000 feet above the ground. A landing gear retracted flaps extended landing was made approximately 800 feet short of the approach end of runway 33 on rough, uneven terrain. Witnesses located at Tri-County Airport observed the aircraft approach and land with the landing gear retracted and the flaps extended. Several of these witnesses proceeded to the aircraft following the landing, and two of them documented the cockpit configuration after the occupants exited the aircraft. One witness found the master switch, magnetos, and strobe light on and turned them off. The second witness noted the throttle and propeller controls to be full forward and the mixture in the cutoff position. The pilot talked to another witness and told that witness that "the door popped open and he tried to slow down and close it, and the engine quit." On May 22, 2000, the engine was inspected and run. It was still mounted on the airframe and the normal, uncompromised, fuel feed system was in place. The only changes made were that approximately 14 inches was cut from each exhaust stack where the stacks exited the cowl due to crush damage, which occurred during the landing gear retracted landing, and a replacement propeller was installed due to the original propeller being damaged during the landing. The engine started and ran normally. The passenger entry door was examined and tested. No deficiencies were found and the door latched and unlatched in a normal fashion. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6643Q](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6643Q), registered now, S/N D-10265, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech V35B - Registry model: [Beech V35B](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-v35b) (registry code 1151548) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: D-10265 - Airframe hours: 2840 - Engines: Continental IO520BB55B 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Dave L. Sherman - Registered owner: Ten High Flyers, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, April 13, 2000, 20 hours before - Departed: BJC, BROOMFIELD, CO - Destination: HSI, HASTINGS, NE - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: 48V, Erie-Tri-County, runway 33, 4,700 × 60 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 40; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 207 total, 4 in this make and model, 160 as pilot in command, 12 in the last 90 days, 6 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 110° at 5 knots - Visibility: 80 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 20,000 ft broken - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 12 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: BJC, 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000513012439A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000513012439A), May 13, 2000: Erie, CO, No damage. (-23) After departing jeffco airport (bjc) co and leveling off at 6500' enroute to hastings, NE the pilot dave sherman experience a loss of engine power. The… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.