Amateur-built MUSTANG II accident near Brush, Colorado, October 2, 2011
On October 2, 2011 at about 8:15 pm local time, a amateur-built MUSTANG II, registered N287BM, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Brush, Colorado (Brush Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during taxi, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2011 · about 8:15 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Brush, Colorado · Brush Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MUSTANG II
- Registration
- N287BM · no longer on the register · serial 287
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he had landed and was taxiing about 25 mph when the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot’s efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway. The left main gear struck an obstruction and was partially separated from the fuselage. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane’s fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged during the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during taxi defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
- Cabin safety event during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 800 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 15, 2007
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 502 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 25, 2011; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EIK Erie CO at 7:30 pm
- Destination: 7V5 Brush CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,300 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KAKO, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 14, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N287BM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N287BM: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,304 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Brush Municipal · nearest airport
- Erie Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,485 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N287BM 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12CA005.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.