Amateur-built T 18 accident near Longmont, Colorado, February 16, 2018
On February 16, 2018 at about 8:20 pm local time, a 1978 amateur-built T 18, registered N89ER, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in a groundloop and nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2018 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built T 18 UNDESIGNAT, built 1978
- Registration
- N89ER · no longer on the register · serial 1106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tailwheel-qualified private pilot was conducting his first flight in the T-18 airplane with a flight instructor. After several local flight maneuvers and about seven uneventful landings, he planned to execute a full-stop landing. During the landing roll, the airplane turned right as it decelerated. The pilot attempted to correct the turn with left rudder control and braking, but the airplane groundlooped, departed the runway surface, and nosed over, which resulted in damage to the left wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot was unsure if he had applied any braking pressure during the landing before having directional control issues. The flight instructor did not recall the accident sequence due to his injuries. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures, except for a fractured rudder cable. Examination of the cable revealed an overstress separation, which was consistent with accident damage. Thus, the pilot likely failed to maintain directional control during the landing roll and the flight instructor did not take timely remedial action to maintain runway heading.
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 landing defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 360 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 8,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 18, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,634 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 2017
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B3B (piston); 1,634 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LMO Longmont CO at 7:20 pm
- Destination: LMO Longmont CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,799 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from KLMO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 24, 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Interview with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Materials Lab Factual Report | PDF, 4 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.