Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On June 7, 2005, approximately 1725 mountain daylight time, a Beech S35, N9TT, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain off the departure end of runway 11L at the Jefferson County Airport (BJC), Broomfield, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.

According to the BJC Air Traffic Control Tower, the pilot had been cleared for take off on runway 11L. Several witnesses reported that during the departure roll, the airplane appeared to take off, settle back to the runway, take off again, and settle back to the runway. One witness stated that the pilot appeared to abort the takeoff.

According to the accident report submitted by the pilot, he had taxied down the runway, past the alpha 16 intersection, to avoid several hawks in the vicinity of the runway. According to the Jefferson County Airport Control Tower, the remaining runway distance at this intersection is 7,200 feet. The pilot stated that he became airborne approximately midfield; however, "after rising a few feet, the acceleration seemed sluggish." He also stated that at midfield he "noticed a drop in power," but continued with the take off. The pilot stated that the airplane settled towards the runway, "accelerat[ed] and rose again." He stated that the stall warning horn sounded, and he "leveled in ground effect to accelerate." He maneuvered the airplane to avoid the runway end lights and a truck on the service road off the end of the runway. The airplane impacted the ground near the service road and nosed over, coming to rest 1,287 feet from the departure end of the runway.

The outboard leading edge of the left wing was bent down, the nose landing gear wheel and tire assembly separated at the strut, the top portion of the fuselage was wrinkled, and the windscreen Plexiglas fragmented. The airplane was relocated to Greeley, Colorado, for further examination. On June 14, 2005, the engine was test run under the auspices of the Federal Aviation Administration. No anomalies were noted that would have precluded the engine from producing power. An examination of the remaining airplane systems revealed no anomalies. the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall, and his failure to abort the takeoff. The loss of power for undetermined reasons is a contributing factor.