Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 207A near Bethel, AK — 2024-06-03

Final reportANC24LA043
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Date
2024-06-03
Location
Bethel, AK, USA
Airport
BET
Aircraft
CESSNA 207A
Registration
N9651M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper short-field takeoff procedure, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent hard landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a short-field takeoff procedure with an airplane that was near its maximum gross weight. The airplane’s operating handbook specified that the short-field takeoff procedure required the use of flaps until the airplane had reached an indicated airspeed greater than 80 knots. The pilot reported that, during the initial climb, he felt the airplane sink and saw the wing flaps retract in his peripheral vision. The pilot pushed the airplane’s nose down to gain airspeed; however, the airplane was too low to gain sufficient airspeed for continued flight, and subsequently landed hard on the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. Examination of the flap system revealed that the flaps were fully retracted at the time of impact, and the flap position lever was also in the retracted position. An operational check of the flap control system was conducted in accordance with the airplane service manual and no abnormalities were observed. Given the position of the flaps and flap position lever at the time of the accident and the lack of anomalies during postaccident operational testing of the flap system, it is likely that the pilot either retracted the wing flaps during the takeoff initial climb at an altitude and airspeed that was insufficient to sustain flight, or attempted a short-field takeoff with the flaps improperly configured (retracted), which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent hard landing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff when noticing airspeed drop at low altitude.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

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