Amateur-built LOCKHEED accident near Denver, Colorado, September 9, 2018
On September 9, 2018 at about 6:10 pm local time, a 2000 amateur-built LOCKHEED, registered N514RH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Denver, Colorado (Rocky Mountain Metropolitan airport). It was a positioning flight 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
The pilot's failure to verify that the emergency canopy release was in the correct position when opening the canopy during landing, which resulted in the canopy separating from the airplane and subsequently impacting the empennage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2018 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Rocky Mountain Metropolitan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LOCKHEED T-33, built 2000
- Registration
- N514RH · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, upon landing, he activated the canopy motor to open the canopy about 2 inches, but the canopy continued to open, separated from the airframe, and struck the empennage. He added that it was standard procedure upon landing to open the canopy slightly to aid in slowing the airplane and egress in a runway excursion event. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that the emergency canopy release, which anchors the canopy to the airframe when the canopy motor was turned on, was inadvertently released during the flight.
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Design
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,050 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 22,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 30, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 207.8 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 22, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 15,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison J33-A35 (turbojet); 132 hours total
- Operator: T-33 Aviation Llc
The flight
- Departed from: APA Denver CO at 7:45 pm
- Destination: BJC Denver CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12L, 9,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 6:47 pm from KBJC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 26, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.