- Date
- September 9, 2001, 10:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Watkins, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1259VBoeing A75N1 (PT17)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 20, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20010909025029A
- Case key
- 53454
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 clearance with the guy wire.
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
The pilot landed the airplane on runway 14. He stated that "just after touching down, a strong gust of wind caused the Stearman to start to drift." He added full power to abort the landing. The airplane touched down several times on open land as it attempted to get airborne. The pilot then saw power poles and lines and realized he would be unable to climb over them. He lowered the nose and attempted to fly under the lines. The left wing was torn off when it struck a pole guy wire, and the airplane came to a halt resting on its nose. Recorded winds 6 miles north of the accident site were from 210 degrees at 8 knots. Witnesses said the wind was calm.
Factual narrative
On September 9, 2001, approximately 1045 mountain daylight time, a Boeing A75N1 (PT17), N1259V, was substantially damaged when it struck power lines and impacted terrain during a go-around at Aurora Airpark, Watkins, Colorado. The airline transport certificated pilot was not injured, but his passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local area sightseeing flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Aurora Airpark approximately 0945.
According to the pilot's accident report, he "set up for a normal landing on runway 14. Just after touching down, on the mains in a tail low attitude, a strong gust of wind caused the Stearman to start to drift." He added full power to abort the landing. The airplane touched down several times on open land as the pilot attempted to get airborne. "Even with full power, the aircraft would not climb or accelerate but stayed essentially in ground effect," the pilot said. The pilot then saw power poles and lines and realized he would be unable to climb over them. He lowered the nose and attempted to fly under the lines. The left wing was torn off when it struck a guy wire for a pole, and the airplane came to a halt resting on its nose.
The passenger's family submitted a written statement and photographs they took at the accident site. According to their statement, "there was not a cloud in the sky and there wasn't even a breeze." They indicated they saw the airplane drift to the left of the runway, accelerate, and proceed east for "1/2 mile to 1 mile attempting to go back up," but it never gained altitude. They observed the airplane fly under the power line and contact the guy wire, "which ripped the wing off and the airplane basically did a complete cartwheel and crashed ending up almost completely upside down."
At 1053, the recorded winds at Denver International Airport, 6 miles north of the accident site, were from 210 degrees at 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1259V
- Reported as
- Boeing A75N1 (PT17)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 75-8604
- Airframe hours
- 3,388
- Engine
- Lycoming R-680-9, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stearman Scenic Rides And Avn Svcs, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 28, 2001 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- 01V · Watkins, CO
- Destination
- 01V · Watkins, CO
- Airport
- 01V · Aurora Airpark
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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- September 3, 2000
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 6,650 total · 120 in this make and model · 5,470 as pilot in command · 86 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- DEN, 6 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.