Ryan NAVION accident near Broomfield, Colorado, March 15, 2013
On March 15, 2013 at about 8:08 pm local time, a Ryan NAVION, registered N4276K, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Broomfield, Colorado (Rocky Mountain Metropolitan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and decision to take off at a high density altitude and in gusting wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2013 · about 8:08 pm local time
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · Rocky Mountain Metropolitan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION UNDESIGNAT · all NAVIONs on the register
- Registration
- N4276K · registry record · serial NAV-4-1276
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff from a 9,000-foot runway, the pilot retracted the landing gear. Shortly thereafter, the airspeed dropped, followed by an excessive descent rate. The pilot lowered the landing gear and landed the airplane on the runway before it departed the runway and the nose gear collapsed. The pilot attributed the excessive descent rate to wind shear. The weather information obtained by the pilot before the flight indicated gusting, variable, and turbulent wind conditions at a high density altitude, so the pilot should have been aware that conditions were favorable for wind shear. Further, the pilot should have applied a wind/gust correction factor to the takeoff speed to maintain a safe airspeed margin and to maintain airplane climb performance. The airplane's climb performance was further degraded by the effects of density altitude and the overweight condition of the airplane due to the pilot's erroneous weight and balance calculations.
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 lift during initial climb defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during uncontrolled descent
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › High density altitude › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,866 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 5,278 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 4, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,800.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 7:08 pm
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29R, 9,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from BJC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.