Amateur-built TAILWIND accident near Penrose, Colorado, May 31, 2023
On May 31, 2023 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built TAILWIND, registered N456TW, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Penrose, Colorado (Fremont County 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 failure of the right rudder pedal stop due to an inadequate weld, which resulted in a loss of control on the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2023 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Penrose, Colorado · Fremont County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TAILWIND NO SERIES, built 2007
- Registration
- N456TW · registry record · serial 02-1217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was in the right seat, stated the left-seat pilot had just completed three uneventful full-stop landings, and then he took over the controls and was flying from the right seat. During the takeoff roll, he applied equal pressure to both rudder pedals. Suddenly, the right pedal broke forward, and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. The left-seat pilot was unable to assist in controlling the airplane before it struck a berm. The airplane came to rest upright with the main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right side of the fuselage and engine mounts. Postaccident examination revealed that the right seat’s right rudder pedal stop, a U-shaped metal rod welded to the rudder pedal torque tube, broke at the weld, and the right pedal was beyond the normal forward limit. The weld appeared to have inadequate penetration into the base material, which resulted in a failure of the weld that allowed the rudder pedal to extend beyond the normal forward limit.
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 takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,105 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 7,281 as pilot in command; 628 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 8, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 339.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 23, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 2,204 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 5,399 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from KPUB, 30 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPUB 311453Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 17/09 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP109 T01670094 58003
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on August 21, 2024. 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 | Correspondence - Pilot Accident Details | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Correspondence - Pilot Emails | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Correspondence - FAA Inspector Examination | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photos | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Correspondence - FAA Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Excerpt from Exemplar W10 Airplane Flight Manual | 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.
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.