Ryan NAVION N4276K accident near Broomfield, Colorado

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and decision to take off at a high density altitude and in gusting wind conditions.

NTSB analysis

After takeoff from a 9,000-foot runway, the pilot retracted the landing gear. Shortly thereafter, the airspeed dropped, followed by an excessive descent rate. The pilot lowered the landing gear and landed the airplane on the runway before it departed the runway and the nose gear collapsed. The pilot attributed the excessive descent rate to wind shear. The weather information obtained by the pilot before the flight indicated gusting, variable, and turbulent wind conditions at a high density altitude, so the pilot should have been aware that conditions were favorable for wind shear. Further, the pilot should have applied a wind/gust correction factor to the takeoff speed to maintain a safe airspeed margin and to maintain airplane climb performance. The airplane's climb performance was further degraded by the effects of density altitude and the overweight condition of the airplane due to the pilot's erroneous weight and balance calculations.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13LA199 for the full record.