BROOMFIELD, Colo. – The pilot and pilot-rated passenger who were both killed in small plane crash shortly after takeoff from Rocky Mountain Mountain Metro (BJC) in May were likely dealing with a door that had popped open.
That finding is part of a preliminary investigation report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The twin-engine Beechcraft 95-B55 crashed around 10 a.m. on May 17 in a field about 1.5 miles of runway 30R, from which it had just departed.
Broomfield
'No survivors' after plane crashes near Rocky Mountain Airport in Broomfield
“Shortly after rotation, the pilot made a radio call to the BJC control tower stating, ‘we had a door pop, we need to come back around.’ ATC subsequently replied that the pilot could make “right closed traffic for 30R” along with asking the pilot ‘are you going to climb,’” the report stated.
The NTSB report said the pilot climbed to 6,024 feet msl, or about 400 feet above the ground and that BJC air traffic control communicated with the pilot that he was cleared to return and land on any runway.
As the Beechcraft maneuvered to the right traffic pattern for runway 30R, the pilot began “a continuous slow descent” and the plane’s speed slowed from 94 knots to 81 knots.
At that point, surveillance video at a bus stop near U.S. Route 36 captured the plane’s movements, “with the landing gear extended entering a left bank that increased in roll rate until the airplane was in an inverted left wing down and nose low dive,” stated the report.
The video also appeared to show an open door.
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as 80-year-old Eugene Knutson and 74-year-old James Gelaude. No one on the ground was hurt.
Aviation expert Steve Cowell told Denver7 in May said an open door alone wouldn't cause the plane to crash. "However, if the pilots are distracted to the point they are not flying the aircraft, that could be a huge factor in this investigation," said Cowell. "As a fellow pilot, I feel badly anytime there is an incident or an accident."
According to the NTSB preliminary report, the family said the passenger had recently bought a similar Beechcraft plane and the pilot was “providing a cross-country familiarity flight to the pilot-rated passenger.”
The post-crash investigation showed the cabin baggage door latch was in the closed and locked position.
The main cabin door had separated from the plane during the crash the the door handle “was found in the open position” and the “rear sloped latch, lower pin, and upper claw latch were found in the locked position,” continued the report.
While the NTSB's preliminary report does not lay out a probably cause of the crash, Cowell said "in about a year or so, we're going to be seeing the determination of cause from the NTSB."
Denver7 will publish a new story once the NTSB releases its final accident report.
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