Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On September 20, 2000, at approximately 1400 mountain daylight time, a Boeing D75N1 (Stearman), N64796, was substantially damaged during landing at Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado. The flight instructor and the commercial pilot receiving instruction were not injured. A private individual was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight that originated approximately 30 minutes before the accident. The flight instructor had not filed a flight plan.

According to the flight instructor, the commercial pilot receiving instruction was conducting a touch and go landing, and he flared the airplane too high. The aircraft stalled and dropped to the runway. The student lost directional control of the aircraft and it subsequently ground looped. The aircraft exited the left side of the runway and the right wingtip contacted the ground, damaging the right lower aft wing spar. the flight instructor not maintaining supervision. Contributing factors were the student's hard landing due to excessive flare and subsequent inadvertent stall, and the student's failure to maintain directional control during landing roll.