Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT accident near Erie, Colorado, December 15, 1993
On December 15, 1993 at about 11:00 pm local time, a amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT, registered N360HP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erie, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
WAS FLUTTER OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 1993 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT STEEN SKYB
- Registration
- N360HP · registry record · serial DE1002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A POST-MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT, THE PILOT ACCELERATED THE HIGHLY MODIFIED AEROBATIC AIRPLANE TO 190 MPH. IMMEDIATELY, THE FLIGHT CONTROLS BEGAN TO FLUTTER. THE PILOT RAISED THE NOSE, SLOWED THE AIRPLANE, AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED A FRACTURED LOWER RIGHT AFT WING SPAR, AND A LOWER LEFT AILERON ACTUATOR THAT HAD BUCKLED IN COMPRESSION OVERLOAD.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 1993; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1AS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
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.