Mooney M20J accident near Longmont, Colorado, November 13, 2000
On November 13, 2000 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201JP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the total failure of the left main gear strut during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the 6-foot high snow bank that the airplane impacted when it left the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 2000 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201JP · registry record · serial 24-0215
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was a rental check out. The flight instructor said that they approached the runway to practice some touch and go landings. He said that the student was flying the airplane, and that the approach was uneventful. The flight instructor said that as soon as the airplane was on the ground, it turned sharply to the left. The student said that the flight instructor took control of the airplane, but he could not prevent its departure from the runway. The airplane impacted a 6-foot high snow bank. Postaccident investigation revealed that the left main landing gear had separated from the airplane immediately upon touch down. Examination of its strut revealed that it was corroded approximately 1/3 of the way through.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 460 hours in all; 257 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 87 in the last 30 days; 392 as pilot in command; 68 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2000; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 2V2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from FNL, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DEN01LA014.