Amateur-built SH2 accident near Colorado Springs, Colorado, July 15, 2017
On July 15, 2017 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1988 amateur-built SH2, registered N181AL, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Colorado Springs, Colorado (Meadow Lake 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 lock the castering tailwheel in accordance with the airplane Owner's Manual and a checklist item and to abort the takeoff after the airplane exceeded its normal takeoff distance and/or reached the limit of the rudder control authority during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a subsequent runway excursion and impact with a light.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2017 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Springs, Colorado · Meadow Lake Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SH2, built 1988
- Registration
- N181AL · registry record · serial 181
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot reported that he was attempting to take off in a nonsteerable, castering, tailwheel-equipped experimental airplane with the tailwheel unlocked. During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered left. The pilot applied right rudder pedal input and then applied the right brake, but the airplane continued to veer left. The airplane veered off the runway about 2,400 ft down the runway and struck a taxiway light; the airplane's normal takeoff distance is 1,000 ft. A postcrash fire erupted from the right main landing gear well area. The continued application of right brake after full rudder deflection, as evidenced by witness marks along the runway, did not correct the airplane's path; instead, it likely increased the takeoff distance and created a heat source for the initiation of the fire. Further, when applying full rudder deflection did not correct the airplane's path, the pilot should have recognized there was a problem and aborted the takeoff. According to the airplane Owner's Manual and a checklist item in the manual, the tailwheel was to be in the locked position for takeoff and landing. Given the evidence, the pilot likely had not locked the castering tailwheel in accordance with applicable guidance, which resulted in the loss of directional control during takeoff.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,400 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 13, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,151.6 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 6, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FLY Colorado Springs CO at 7:00 pm
- Destination: FLY Colorado Springs CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.43 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from FLY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on July 18, 2019. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Records of Conversation | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Email Regarding Weight and Balance | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Information | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Airplane Owner's Manual (Excerpt) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Revised Factual Narrative | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.