Mustang II accident near Broomfield, CO
On November 2, 2018, a Mustang II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Broomfield, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 2, 2018
- Place
- Broomfield, CO
- Aircraft
- Mustang II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.998°N, 105.046°W
- NTSB ID
- 20181102X61039
Official records · CEN19FA022
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 2, 2018, about 1150 mountain daylight time, an amateur-built Mustang II airplane, N287BM, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Broomfield, Colorado. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight, which departed EIK about 1055. Data from a Garmin GPSMAP 496 showed that, after departure, the airplane proceeded to the east and northeast before it turned back toward EIK. The last few minutes of data depicted the airplane crossing over runway 15/33 about midfield at an altitude of 6,130 ft mean sea level (msl) or about 1,000 ft above ground level (agl) and a groundspeed of 93 knots. The airplane continued on a left downwind leg and then a left base leg at an altitude of 5,878 ft msl and a ground speed of 93 knots. The airplane's last recorded position was at 1149:47 at an altitude of 5,417 ft msl and a ground speed of 93 knots. Multiple witnesses south of EIK reported that the airplane flew from west to east at a low altitude and made a "steep" bank to the north, and the nose of the airplane then "dropped." One witness stated that the bank angle was about 90°. Witnesses located south of the accident site reported strong surface winds at the time of the accident, with one witness reporting that the wind was from the west between 35 and 40 mph (30 and 35 knots). The airplane impacted a grassy area and trees in
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to maintain airplane control following an encounter with mountain wave turbulence.
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Browse: Colorado
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
