- Date
- August 29, 2000, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Broomfield, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N111KDMaule MX-7-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000829013659A
- Case key
- 50120
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 maintain directional control during landing roll. A contributing factor was the crosswind.
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
During the landing roll on runway 29L, the left wing lifted, and the airplane ground looped to the right. The airplane departed the right side of the runway, and the left main gear collapsed. The recorded wind at the time of the accident was 350 degrees at 10 knots, or a 9 knot direct crosswind. The pilot stated that "more diligence on landing, quicker response to divergence of [the] aircraft" could have prevented the accident.
Factual narrative
On August 29, 2000, approximately 1100 mountain daylight time, a Maule MX-7-235, N111KD, sustained substantial damage when it departed the side of the runway during landing at Jeffco Airport (BJC), Broomfield, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight that originated 1 hour 40 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that during landing roll on runway 29L, the left wing "suddenly lifted." He said the aircraft ground looped to the right and departed the right side of the runway. According to airport authorities, the left main landing gear collapsed. The left wing aft spar, the furthest outboard rib, and the left side of the fuselage were damaged.
The airport authorities assisted the pilot in unloading a "large cooler" of elk meat. Documentation provided by the pilot indicates that the airplane was within weight and balance limitations.
The pilot submitted a letter to the Investigator-In-Charge (IIC) suggesting that wake turbulence from a preceding landing aircraft may have upset his airplane. The recorded wind at the time of the accident was 350 degrees at 10 knots, or a 9 knot direct crosswind. The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) states that aircraft wingtip vortices move horizontally, near the ground, at 3 knots. The IIC calculated that runway 29L would have been cleared of all wingtip vortexes in 5 to 8 seconds.
The pilot stated on his accident report that "more diligence on landing, quicker response to divergence of [the] aircraft" could have prevented the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N111KD
- Reported as
- Maule MX-7-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10049C
- Airframe hours
- 1,204
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kenneth A. Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 28, 2000 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- LXV · Leadville, CO
- Destination
- BJC · CO
- Airport
- BJC · Jeffco Airport, runway 29L, 7,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,109 total · 1,012 in this make and model · 2,084 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 163 °F, dew point 135 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.