Canadair F-86E MK.6 accident near Broomfield, Colorado, June 1, 1997
On June 1, 1997 at about 7:21 pm local time, a Canadair F-86E MK.6, registered N86EX, was destroyed in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado (Jefferson County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
Inadequate planning and decision making by the pilot in starting the aerobatic maneuver at an insufficient altitude to successfully complete the maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 1997 · about 7:21 pm local time
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · Jefferson County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Canadair F-86E MK.6 · all F-86E MK.6s on the register
- Registration
- N86EX · registry record · serial 1489
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an airshow, the pilot was performing a reverse half-Cuban eight. He flew down the runway at approximately 400 feet above ground level (agl) and pulled up using a 45-degree nose up attitude. At approximately 2,500 feet agl, the pilot rolled the aircraft inverted and pulled to a vertical nose down attitude. He failed to recover from the dive and the aircraft struck the ground in a 5-degree nose down attitude with a high sink rate. Ground speed at the time of impact was approximately 485 knots. According to persons at the airshow who are aerobatics pilots, the maneuver being performed by this aircraft should be started no lower than 4,000 feet agl, and part of the altitude gain should be used to bleed off excess airspeed. Videos of the performance depict the speed brakes deployed, the vertical stabilizer moving up and down, and the leading edge devices deployed while the aircraft was in the dive.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,978 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 8, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 17,100 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Orenda 14 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BJC at 7:06 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29R, 9,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Observation at 7:22 pm from BJC, 2 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.