- Date
- August 14, 2000, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Longmont, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55SUSukhoi SU-29
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 50783
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 inadequate structural materials (American manufactured verses original Russian materials) used during a major repair.
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 landing, the airplane exited the right side of the runway and the left wing impacted the ground. The pilot taxied to his hangar. Postaccident examination was delayed several months (until December 11, 2000) to allow Sukhoi representatives to assess the damage. They determined that several structural tubes just aft of the engine firewall needed to be replaced. The damaged area of the fuselage was where the main landing gear attached to the fuselage. It could not be determined if the structural damage that occurred on August 14, 2000, was the result of one landing or progressive damage from several landings. The tubes that needed replacement following the August 14, 2000, event had been previously damaged (bent or broken) during an accident on May 11, 1996. At that time, several unsuccessful attempts were made to acquire Russian materials and technical assistance. The decision was made to perform the repairs using American materials. According to the Sukhoi representatives, the American tubing and welding rods were 'incompatible' with the original Russian materials.
Factual narrative
On August 15, 2000, at approximately 1030 mountain daylight time, a Sukhoi SU-29, N55SU, was substantially damaged during a landing at Vance Brand Airport, Longmont, Colorado. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant onboard, was not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the aircraft under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that originated approximately 30 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.
The pilot said that the purpose of the flight was to practice aerobatic maneuvers. On his return to the airport, the landing was "uneventful, in fact remarkably smooth." The pilot said that shortly after touchdown, the airplane swerved to the right and exited the runway. He said that the left wing "slightly touched the grass." He continued to taxi to his hangar.
Postaccident examination was delayed several months (until December 11, 2000) to allow Sukhoi representatives to assess the damage. They determined that several structural tubes just aft of the engine firewall needed to be replaced. The damaged area of tubing was where the main landing gear attached to the fuselage. It could not be determined if the structural damage that occurred on August 15, 2000, was the result of one landing or progressive damage from several landings.
The tubes that needed replacement following the August 15, 2000, event had been previously damaged (bent or broken) during an accident on May 11, 1996. At that time, several unsuccessful attempts were made to acquire Russian materials and technical assistance. The decision was made to perform the repairs using American materials.
According to the Sukhoi representatives, the American tubing and welding rods were "incompatible" with the original Russian materials.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55SU
- Reported as
- Sukhoi SU-29
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 73-05
- Airframe hours
- 446
- Engine
- Vendeneyev M-14-P, 360 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard A. Basiliere
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · February 5, 2000 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- 2V2
- Airport
- 2V2 · Vance Brand Airport, runway 29, 4,800 × 75 ft, concrete
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
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 8,775 total · 75 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 45 °F
Other investigations on N55SU · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.