Pilot Debrief

Beech A45 near Englewood, CO — 2008-02-12

Final reportDEN08LA057
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Date
2008-02-12
Location
Englewood, CO, USA
Airport
APA
Aircraft
Beech A45
Registration
N34KF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to fly the airplane with a discharged battery, which resulted in a total electrical failure during takeoff climb. Contributing factors were the pilot's inability to verify the landing gear position, and the impact with the runway sign.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the airplane the battery was dead, and he used an external source to "charge/start the airplane." The taxi and initial takeoff were uneventful. During the landing gear retraction after takeoff, the airplane "lost total electrical power." The pilot elected to continue the flight and troubleshoot the electrical failure. With no electrical power, the pilot had no communications, and had to manually extend the landing gear. A second airplane flew near the accident airplane to help verify that the landing gear was extended. The landing gear appeared to be extended, and the pilot attempted to land the airplane. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane went off the runway. The right wing impacted a runway sign, and the nose landing gear and left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest upright approximately 10 feet off the runway. An examination of the airplane showed that the aircraft battery was completely discharged. The owner of the airplane reported that the alternator would not be able to handle the electrical load during landing gear retraction without battery power.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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