NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN90LA014
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN TERRAIN CLEARANCE WHILE EXECUTING A LOW PASS.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT STATED HE AND THE PAX WERE EN ROUTE TO OPEIM, MT, WHEN HE EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE. HE EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE THAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED NORMAL ENGINE OPERATION. SEVERAL 'SPENT' RIFLE CARTRIDGES WERE FOUND IN THE AIRPLANE. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE FLAPS WERE IN THE UP POSITION AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE IMPACT MARKS REVEALED THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, STRUCK A RAVINE, BECAME AIRBORNE AND IMPACTED THE UPHILL SIDE OF THE RAVINE BEFORE NOSING OVER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_DEN90LA014.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (engine failure). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Multi-level Adaptation for Automatic Landing with Engine Failure under Turbulent Weather
This paper addresses efficient feasibility evaluation of possible emergency landing sites, online navigation, and path following for automatic landing under engine-out failure subject to turbulent wea…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Simulation of Liquid Rocket Engine Failure Propagation Using Self-Evolving Scenarios
Traditional probabilistic risk assessment approaches often require failure scenarios to be explicitly defined through event sequences that are then quantified as part of the integrated analysis.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techiques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techniques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
A simulator investigation of engine failure compensation for powered-lift STOL aircraft
A piloted simulator investigation of various engine failure compensation concepts for powered-lift STOL aircraft was carried out at the Ames Research Center.
- Semantic Scholar 2019 · Article (AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum)
Impact of Engine Failure Constraints on the Initial Sizing of Hybrid-Electric GA Aircraft
Potential advantages of hybrid-electric aircraft are fuel savings, lower emissions, and reduced noise. Since these aircraft generally apply multiple power sources, they can also be designed to sustain…
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