- Date
- February 18, 2002, 11:48 local (18:48 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6444CBeech B36TC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20020218005539A
- Case key
- 54222
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 flaring the airplane prematurely, which resulted in a hard 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
The pilot said the landing approach was "a little fast, a little high," so he retarded the throttle and flared "too high." The airplane struck the runway "hard" with its nose landing gear, bounced, and touched down again. The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane skidded to a halt off the left side of the runway.
Factual narrative
On February 18, 2002, at 1148 mountain standard time, a Beech B36TC, N6444C, operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged when the nose gear collapsed during a hard landing at Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Marfa, Texas, approximately 0930 central standard time.
The following is based on a telephone conversation with the pilot and the accident report he submitted. The landing approach to runway 35L was "a little fast, a little high," so he retarded the throttle and flared "too high." The airplane struck the runway "hard" with its nose landing gear. The airplane bounced, touched down again, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded to a halt off the left side of the runway.
Postaccident examination disclosed substantial damage to the keel of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6444C
- Reported as
- Beech B36TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- EA-275
- Airframe hours
- 2,462
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-UB, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edward H. Simpson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 13, 2001 · 246 hours before
- Departed
- MRF · Marfa, TX
- Destination
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 35L, 7,004 × 77 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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 15, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,102 total · 852 in this make and model · 982 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 22,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.62 inHg
- Observed at
- APA
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 3, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.