Pilatus PC-7 accident near Broomfield, Colorado, January 14, 2000
On January 14, 2000 at about 8:18 pm local time, a Pilatus PC-7, registered HBHOO, was destroyed in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado (Jefferson County Airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of aircraft control while performing low level aerobatics at an altitude insufficient to make a safe recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2000 · about 8:18 pm local time · cases in 2000
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · Jefferson County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pilatus PC-7 · all PC-7s on the register
- Registration
- HBHOO · registered outside the United States · serial 394
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was ferrying the aircraft from the company's headquarters in Switzerland for a buyer in the United States. While approaching the airport to land, he requested to perform a low approach to runway 29R, which was approved by the airport tower. According to multiple witnesses in the airport tower and on the ground, they observed the aircraft with the landing gear retracted overfly runway 29R. At the midfield point, the aircraft was observed to roll 360 degrees twice to the right, followed by a 360-degree roll to the left. The nose pitched up, then descended toward the ground. The right wing impacted on an adjacent taxiway and the airplane cartwheeled and exploded. During a postaccident examination of the aircraft, no airframe or engine anomalies were identified. Radar data provided evidence that the aircraft was traveling at 215 knots seconds prior to impact. The airport is located within the boundaries of Class D airspace and according to FAR 91.303, aerobatic flight within the surface area of Class D airspace is prohibited.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,694 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,578 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,954 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 1999; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-25A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GSH Goshen IN at 2:48 pm
- Destination: BJC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29R, 9,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from BJC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- Pilatus PC-7 19 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pilatus 403 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W PT6A-25A 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Rocky Mountain Metro Airport · nearest airport
- Goshen Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,485 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN00FA044.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.