Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On October 9, 2002, at 1300 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-20, N7672K, was substantially damaged during a ground loop while landing at Front Range Airport, Watkins, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight that originated from Sylvia, Kansas, approximately 2 hours 30 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.

The assistant airport manager said the airplane was landing on runway 8. He said the airplane ground looped and exited the south side of the runway.

According to his accident report, the pilot said the left brake was "not there" on landing roll, and the right brake grabbed. He said a leakage of the left brake line was discovered upon examination of the airplane which resulted in the failure of the left brake.

The outboard 8 feet of the left wing was bent upward, and the tip of the left elevator was bent. the pilot's inability [not possible] to control the airplane during landing roll due to the failure of the left brake, and the subsequent inadvertent ground loop.