Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Longmont, Colorado, October 7, 1995
On October 7, 1995 at about 6:50 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-4, registered N61TR, was destroyed in an accident near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the installation of an unapproved metal propeller which led to a fatigue failure of a blade and loss of aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1995 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4
- Registration
- N61TR · no longer on the register · serial 1061
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During flight the propeller failed shedding one blade approximately 15 inches from the hub. The aircraft was observed to pitch up and enter a flat spin to impact. The propeller installed on the aircraft was a cut-down metal propeller, and the aircraft specifications required that only wood propellers be used. The logs indicated a wood propeller was installed on the aircraft and no history of the metal propeller was found.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 227 hours in all; 227 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 783 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 1995; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 5,130 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from BJC, 15 miles away
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.