Beech 55 accident near Longmont, Colorado, March 2, 1992
On March 2, 1992 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Beech 55, registered N155BB, 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; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE STUDENT PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1992 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 55
- Registration
- N155BB · registry record · serial TC-841
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A TRAINING FLIGHT FOR THE SINGLE ENGINE RATED PILOT, THE CFI GAVE THE STUDENT A SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURE DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL BY RETARDING POWER ON THE RIGHT ENGINE. FOLLOWING THE STUDENT'S CORRECT RESPONSE OF REDUCING POWER ON THE LEFT ENGINE, POWER WAS RESTORED TO BOTH ENGINES AND THE TAKEOFF ROLL WAS RE-INITIATED. DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST AND THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH A PILE OF ROCKS. THE NOSE AND RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WERE SHEARED.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 658 hours in all; 360 in this make and model; 108 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 551 as pilot in command; 168 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 12, 1991; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FNL Fort Collins CO at 10:00 pm
- Destination: BJC Broomfield CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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 DEN92LA039.