Aero Vodochody Aero. Works L-39CT accident near Watkins, Colorado, January 24, 2001
On January 24, 2001 at about 6:27 pm local time, a Aero Vodochody Aero. Works L-39CT, registered N602MC, was destroyed in an accident near Watkins, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control, and the subsequent inadvertent stall/mush. Factors were the pilot's diverted attention due to the failure of the rear canopy's acrylic transparency and the loss of communication with his back seat passenger, the pilot's lack of recent experience in make/model airplane, the airplane's improper aft weight distribution (center of gravity), and the pilot's fatigue (circadian rhythm).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 2001 · about 6:27 pm local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Vodochody Aero. Works L-39CT
- Registration
- N602MC · no longer on the register · serial 135234
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed from runway 26 in the military jet trainer and made an immediate steep left hand turn at an estimated 100 to 300 feet above the ground. Approximately 30 seconds later, the back seat canopy transparency failed and separated from the aircraft. The back seat passenger's headset and hat accompanied the transparency fragments to the ground. The airplane began oscillating divergently, pitching up to near vertical, turned right, and impacted the ground longitudinally oriented approximately 60 degrees to the right of the energy track alignment. The airplane's most recent empty weight CG calculations indicate that the airplane was at 34.98% MAC; the factory recommends a 27.7% MAC empty weight CG. The airplane's flight CG (with two occupants and the main fuel tank full) was calculated to be 29.58% MAC. The manufacturer recommends an approximate flight CG of 23 to 25.5% MAC. As the CG moves aft of this envelope, aircraft control becomes progressively more sensitive. The manufacturer reported that their test pilot's have flown the airplane with CGs as high 34% to 35% MAC, and aircraft records indicate that the pilot had previous flight experience with CGs in the 29% to 30% MAC range. Aircraft records also indicate that the pilot had 38.6 hours of flight experience in the airplane in approximately 3 years, and 6.6 hours of experience during the last 18 months. The night before the accident, the pilot had returned from a trip around the world in his Boeing Business Jet, with multiple business stops along the way. Analysis of the rear canopy's transparency indicated that it was embrittled.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 27, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 118 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 2000; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,166 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ivchenko AI-25 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FTG Watkins CO at 6:26 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from DEN, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.