Socata TBM 700 accident near Englewood, Colorado, March 26, 2001
On March 26, 2001 at about 2:19 pm local time, a Socata TBM 700, registered N300WC, was destroyed in an accident near Englewood, Colorado (Centennial airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's spatial disorientation, which led to his failure to maintain aircraft control. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to intentionally fly into known adverse weather that consisted of low ceilings, obscuration, and ice fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2001 · about 2:19 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Socata TBM 700 · all TBM 700s on the register
- Registration
- N300WC · no longer on the register · serial 82
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was fueled to capacity and placed in a heated hangar about one hour before departure. The instrument rated pilot obtained a weather briefing, filed an IFR flight plan, and obtained an IFR clearance. Low ceiling, reduced visibility, and ice fog prevented control tower personnel from observing the takeoff. Radar (NTAP) and on-board GPS data indicated the airplane began drifting to the left of runway centerline almost immediately after takeoff. The airplane made a climbing left turn, achieving a maximum altitude of 7,072 feet and completing 217 degrees of turn, before beginning a descending left turn. The airplane impacted terrain on airport property. Autopsy/toxicology protocols were unremarkable. There was no evidence of preimpact failure/malfunction of the airframe, powerplant, propeller, or flight controls. The autopilot and servos, pitot-static system, and flight instruments were tested and all functioned satisfactorily. The pilot's shoulder harness was found attached to the seatbelt, but the male end of the seatbelt buckle was broken.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,024 hours in all; 136 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 719 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 20, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,139 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 2001; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,579 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-64 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 2:18 pm
- Destination: SMO Santa Monica CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17L, 10,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.1 statute miles
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 pm from APA
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.
Other NTSB records under N300WC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.