Pilot Debrief

BEECH A36 near Huggins, MO — 2015-06-12

Final reportCEN15FA267
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Date
2015-06-12
Location
Huggins, MO, USA
Airport
PVT
Aircraft
BEECH A36
Registration
N3193W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
4
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was taking off from a 2,000-ft-long grass runway that had 70-ft tall trees at the south departure end with a clearing about 180 ft west of the runway centerline. A witness reported that he saw the airplane taxi to the north end of the runway and proceed to take off to the south. After takeoff, the airplane began a right turn to the west toward the opening in the tree line. The airplane then pitched up abruptly, rolled left, and dove into the ground. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. GPS data for the flight corroborated the witness report. Additionally, the GPS-recorded speeds indicated that the airplane reached a maximum groundspeed of about 50 knots and that the groundspeed then decreased to 44 knots before impact. The airplane's weight could not be determined, and the airplane flight manual (AFM) did not include power-on stall speeds. However, based on the power-off stall speed information contained in the AFM, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of–attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff after initial climb issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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