N747MD – Appel Mustang II – 2006-01-06 NTSB Accident Report

On January 06, 2006, a Appel Mustang II (N747MD) was involved in an incident near Erie, CO. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's inadequate preflight decision to depart in gusty winds, and the pilot's failure to maintain direction control during the departure roll. The high gusty crosswind contributed to the accident.

The pilot said he was attempting to depart from runway 33 when he encountered a gust of wind. The airplane veered to the left and departed the runway. The nose wheel stuck in the soft dirt and the airplane nosed over. The cowling was torn off, the firewall was wrinkled, the canopy and "roll bar" were bent and broken, the vertical stabilizer was crushed down 90 degrees at midspan, and the right wing tip was bent up.

According to the METAR (routine aviation weather report) taken at Jefferson County Airport, 7 nautical miles southwest of the accident location, winds were reported as 300 degrees at 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots.

This incident is documented in NTSB report DEN06CA030. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N747MD.