Amateur-built VariEze accident near Loveland, Colorado, August 20, 2006
On August 20, 2006 at about 1:21 am local time, a amateur-built VariEze, registered N23HS, was destroyed in an accident near Loveland, 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 intentional aerobatics performed at low altitude, and his failure to maintain clearance from terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's poor judgment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2006 · about 1:21 am local time
- Place
- Loveland, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VariEze
- Registration
- N23HS · registry record · serial 922
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The two commercial pilots told a friend they were going to practice aerobatics, specifically, "loops and rolls." A witness, located two miles south of the accident site, saw the airplane fly over at low altitude. Another witness saw the airplane "spiraling in." A third witness saw the airplane making lateral "S" maneuvers before diving to the ground. All three witnesses said the airplane was at low altitude. A digital camera recovered from the wreckage showed four video clips of the pilot performing aerobatic maneuvers (rolls). An on-board GPS unit recorded the airplane's flight path from takeoff to accident. The last 1:30 minutes of the flight was expanded for examination. The last data point showed the airplane's ground speed as 68 knots.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 558 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 490 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,110 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2 Longmont CO
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 am from FNL, 4 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.