Sukhoi SU-29 accident near Longmont, Colorado, August 14, 2000
On August 14, 2000 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Sukhoi SU-29, registered N55SU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate structural materials (American manufactured verses original Russian materials) used during a major repair.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2000 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sukhoi SU-29 · all SU-29s on the register
- Registration
- N55SU · no longer on the register · serial 73-05
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing, the airplane exited the right side of the runway and the left wing impacted the ground. The pilot taxied to his hangar. Postaccident examination was delayed several months (until December 11, 2000) to allow Sukhoi representatives to assess the damage. They determined that several structural tubes just aft of the engine firewall needed to be replaced. The damaged area of the fuselage was where the main landing gear attached to the fuselage. It could not be determined if the structural damage that occurred on August 14, 2000, was the result of one landing or progressive damage from several landings. The tubes that needed replacement following the August 14, 2000, event had been previously damaged (bent or broken) during an accident on May 11, 1996. At that time, several unsuccessful attempts were made to acquire Russian materials and technical assistance. The decision was made to perform the repairs using American materials. According to the Sukhoi representatives, the American tubing and welding rods were 'incompatible' with the original Russian materials.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,775 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 446 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 5, 2000; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,611 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vendeneyev M-14-P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
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 N55SU 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.