Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents
Learn from Colorado's accident history to fly safer in the Rockies
2310 Total Accidents
425 Fatal
816 Fatalities
1982-2026
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2 Fatal
Loveland, Colorado
NTSB Narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On August 19, 2006, at 1921 mountain daylight time, a Stallings VariEze, N23HS, registered to the pilot, was destroyed when it struck terrain while maneuvering approximately 2 miles north of Loveland, 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 pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The local flight originated at Longmont Airport, Longmont, Colorado, at 1856.
According to a friend, the pilots told him they were going to practice aerobatics, specifically, "loops and rolls." One Larimer County sheriff's detective, who was working in his yard about 2 miles south of the accident site, said he saw the airplane fly over at low altitude. According to the sheriff's office, a witness driving along Taft Hill Road heard a "pop" and saw the airplane "spiraling in." Another witness, also driving along Taft Hill Road, said he saw the airplane making lateral "S" maneuvers before diving to the ground. Both witnesses said the airplane was at low altitude.
The accident occurred at dusk on the west side of Larimer Country Road (CR) 19 (Taft Hill Road or Wilson Avenue), between CR 57 and Trilby Road, at geographical coordinates 40 degrees, 28.064' North latitude, and 105 degrees, 06.942' West longitude. The GPS (Global Positioning System) altitude was 5,095 feet msl (above mean sea level), +/-18 feet. The first 9-1-1 call was received by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office at 1923.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 49, held a commercial pilot certificate, dated November 23, 1994, with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings. He held a mechanic certificate, dated August 5, 1994, with airframe and powerplant ratings. He also held a second class airman medical certificate, dated April 23, 2003, with no restrictions or limitations.
Only one logbook belonging to the pilot was located. It contained entries from July 13, 2004 (about the time the pilot purchased N23HS), to September 15, 2004. The beginning and ending tachometer times were 417.3 and 445.9 hours, respectively, a difference of 28.6 hours, all of which was in N23HS. When the pilot applied for his most recent medical certification, he estimated he had logged 2,000 flight hours, and 25 hours in the previous 6 months.
The pilot-rated passenger, age 34, held a commercial pilot certificate, dated August 10, 2005, with an airplane multiengine land rating, and private pilot privileges in single-engine land airplanes. His first class airman medical certificate, dated January 6, 2006, contained no restrictions or limitations. On his application for medical certification, the pilot estimated he had logged 500 hours flight time, of which 100 hours was accumulated in the previous 6 months.
The pilot-rated passenger's logbook was located and made available for inspection. It contained entries from Novemb
On August 19, 2006, at 1921 mountain daylight time, a Stallings VariEze, N23HS, registered to the pilot, was destroyed when it struck terrain while maneuvering approximately 2 miles north of Loveland, 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 pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The local flight originated at Longmont Airport, Longmont, Colorado, at 1856.
According to a friend, the pilots told him they were going to practice aerobatics, specifically, "loops and rolls." One Larimer County sheriff's detective, who was working in his yard about 2 miles south of the accident site, said he saw the airplane fly over at low altitude. According to the sheriff's office, a witness driving along Taft Hill Road heard a "pop" and saw the airplane "spiraling in." Another witness, also driving along Taft Hill Road, said he saw the airplane making lateral "S" maneuvers before diving to the ground. Both witnesses said the airplane was at low altitude.
The accident occurred at dusk on the west side of Larimer Country Road (CR) 19 (Taft Hill Road or Wilson Avenue), between CR 57 and Trilby Road, at geographical coordinates 40 degrees, 28.064' North latitude, and 105 degrees, 06.942' West longitude. The GPS (Global Positioning System) altitude was 5,095 feet msl (above mean sea level), +/-18 feet. The first 9-1-1 call was received by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office at 1923.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 49, held a commercial pilot certificate, dated November 23, 1994, with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings. He held a mechanic certificate, dated August 5, 1994, with airframe and powerplant ratings. He also held a second class airman medical certificate, dated April 23, 2003, with no restrictions or limitations.
Only one logbook belonging to the pilot was located. It contained entries from July 13, 2004 (about the time the pilot purchased N23HS), to September 15, 2004. The beginning and ending tachometer times were 417.3 and 445.9 hours, respectively, a difference of 28.6 hours, all of which was in N23HS. When the pilot applied for his most recent medical certification, he estimated he had logged 2,000 flight hours, and 25 hours in the previous 6 months.
The pilot-rated passenger, age 34, held a commercial pilot certificate, dated August 10, 2005, with an airplane multiengine land rating, and private pilot privileges in single-engine land airplanes. His first class airman medical certificate, dated January 6, 2006, contained no restrictions or limitations. On his application for medical certification, the pilot estimated he had logged 500 hours flight time, of which 100 hours was accumulated in the previous 6 months.
The pilot-rated passenger's logbook was located and made available for inspection. It contained entries from Novemb
Case Study & Lessons Learned
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Details
| NTSB Report | DEN06FA115 |
| Aircraft | Stallings VariEze |
| Registration | N23HS |
| Damage | DEST |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Location | 40.4686, -105.1264 |
