North American SNJ-5 accident near Simla, CO
On July 9, 2009, a North American SNJ-5 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Simla, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 9, 2009
- Place
- Simla, CO
- Aircraft
- North American SNJ-5 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.266°N, 104.088°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090709X73336
Official records · CEN09FA425
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 9, 2009, about 1255 mountain daylight time, a North American SNJ-5 model experimental airplane, N212TC, was destroyed following impact with terrain near Simla, Colorado. A post impact fire ensued. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The local flight originated at Centennial Airport (APA), Denver, Colorado, and was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Four witnesses observed the airplane performing aerobatic maneuvers for approximately 15 minutes. They could not estimate how high the airplane was flying, but indicated it was too high to make out details on the airplane. They observed the airplane pull up vertical and perform a wing over or roll type maneuver. The airplane then entered a spin, which continued until the airplane impacted the ground. A post impact fire ensued immediately after impact. Each witness described the engine running until impact. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 41, held an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane single-engine sea, airplane multi-engine land, and airplane multi-engine sea. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first-class medical certificate was issued on July 8, 2009, with no limitations. An examination of the pilot's logbook indicated a total flight time of 2,232 hours; 1,766 hours in single-engine airplanes, and 637 hours in the accident type airplane. He logged 36 hours in the previous 90
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while practicing aerobatic maneuvers and his subsequent failure to recover from an inadvertent spin.
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Browse: Colorado · North American aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
