Pilot Debrief

BEECH C23 near Bingham, ME — 2013-08-20

Final reportERA13LA370
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Date
2013-08-20
Location
Bingham, ME, USA
Airport
ME08
Aircraft
BEECH C23
Registration
N243RG
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in his attempt to take off from a short, turf runway in high-density altitude conditions under which the airplane was unable to attain a positive climb rate to clear trees.

NTSB narrative

The airplane had arrived at the departure airport earlier in the day. Witnesses, including the passenger, stated that it took multiple attempts for the pilot to land on the turf runway upon arrival; however, the pilot reported that "it was a non-event going in." The airplane subsequently took off from the 2,000-ft-long, turf-covered runway that had trees near its departure end. The pilot reported that, during takeoff, the airspeed indicator did not appear to be working, so he "tapped it" with his fingers. He estimated that the airplane was traveling about 60 to 70 mph at that time. He pulled back on the control wheel, and, when the airplane reached about 20 ft above ground level, the stall warning activated. He then pushed forward on the control wheel to gain airspeed and turned the airplane slightly upriver. The right wing then contacted trees, and the airplane subsequently impacted the river nose first. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the temperature was about 80 degrees F, and the calculated density altitude was about 3,218 ft, which would have decreased the airplane's climb rate by about 30 percent. Further, according to the airplane flight manual, about 2,300 ft of turf runway would have been needed to clear a 50-ft obstacle. Therefore, due to the extended required ground roll and the degraded climb performance, the airplane was likely not able to attain a sufficient climb rate to clear the trees at the end of the runway.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff when airspeed indicator failed.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents11

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