Amateur-built MURPHY MOOSE accident near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, May 12, 2012
On May 12, 2012 at about 6:15 pm local time, a amateur-built MURPHY MOOSE, registered N223DH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Steamboat Springs, Colorado (Steamboat Springs Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A locked left brake for reasons that could not be determined because independent observations of the postaccident condition of the airplane could not be performed, and the pilot’s subsequent loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2012 · about 6:15 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Steamboat Springs, Colorado · Steamboat Springs Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MURPHY MOOSE
- Registration
- N223DH · registry record · serial 223SR
- 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 during the landing roll in the experimental kit-built airplane, the left wheel brake locked, and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The left landing gear dug into the soft dirt and the airplane nosed over. The pilot/owner/builder disassembled both brake master cylinders and the parking brake valve without federal oversight and found no foreign material or operating problems with the master cylinder or parking valve. The variance of 0.009 inches in the dowel pin length documented by the pilot/owner/builder was explained by standard manufacturing procedures used to achieve near simultaneous operation of the valve between the left and right sides of the parking brake. Functional testing of the parking brake valve revealed no anomalies. Due to the disassembly of the parking brake valve and parking brake assembly without federal oversight, investigators were unable to determine their condition on the airplane at the time of the accident. Accordingly, the cause of the locked left brake could not be determined.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 183 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 187 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 1, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vendenyev M14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEGE Eagle CO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: KSBS Steamboat Springs CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,452 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 6:11 pm from KSBS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on December 18, 2012. 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 | Owner Operator Examination Statement - CEN12LA298 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Parking Brake Valve Test Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Parking Brake Valve Drawing - Matco PVPV-1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Parking Brake Valve Installation Drawing - Matco PVPV-1 | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N223DH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Vendenyev M14P · as the NTSB recorded it
- Steamboat Springs/Bob Adams Field · nearest airport
- Eagle County Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,483 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12LA298.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.