Sukhoi SU-26MX accident near Telluride, Colorado, September 30, 2000
On September 30, 2000 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Sukhoi SU-26MX, registered N26KP, was destroyed in an accident near Telluride, Colorado (Telluride Regional Apt airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering, and the subsequent inadvertent stall/spin to the ground. A contributing factor was the high density altitude weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2000 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Telluride, Colorado · Telluride Regional Apt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sukhoi SU-26MX · all SU-26MXs on the register
- Registration
- N26KP · registry record · serial 03-08
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was to perform aerobatics at an air show at a high altitude airport (density altitude 12,441 feet). He was cleared to takeoff and exit the airport traffic area (he was not cleared to perform any aerobatic maneuvers). The pilot flew down the runway at 75 to 100 feet. At midfield, he pulled his airplane up to vertical, and at 500 feet agl, the airplane began to tumble. The airplane entered a spin and impacted terrain. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of preimpact anomalies.
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: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 520 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 18, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 1,844 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vendeneyev M-14 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TEX at 8:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,870 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 171°F (77°C), dew point 113°F (45°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from MTJ, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN00FA182.