ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 174944
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| Date: | Sunday 29 March 2015 |
| Time: | 16:00 |
| Type: |  Beech 35 Bonanza |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N80462 |
| MSN: | D-62 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1947 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4608 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental E-228-8 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Cedar Mills Airport (3T0), Gordonville, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Gordonville, TX (3T0) |
| Tyler, TX (TYR) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot and three passengers were departing in the single-engine airplane from a 3,000-ft-long grass runway. The pilot reported that he thought that the windsock showed light and variable winds. He considered taking off downhill toward a lake, but because of the possibility of a tailwind after passing the tree line, he chose to do a soft field takeoff uphill. The airplane lifted off at an indicated airspeed of 80 mph. As it neared the departure end of the runway, the pilot noticed that the airplane was not climbing as expected, the indicated airspeed seemed unreliable, and the controls felt mushy and near stall speed. Witnesses stated that the airplane traveled about halfway down the runway before it became airborne. One witness stated that he didn't think the engine speed was right and that the airplane was gaining altitude slowly. The other witness reported that the airplane wasn't gaining any altitude and that the engine sounded "strong," and did not cut out. The airplane collided with trees and a building just beyond the runway before impacting terrain. An examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-impact abnormalities.
Given the pilot's reported weight and the weight of the 28 gallons of fuel that the pilot reported were onboard, the airplane had a remaining useful load of 379 lbs to account for the 3 other passengers. Therefore, it is likely that the airplane was operating at or near its maximum gross weight at the time of the accident. With the additional factors of an upsloping, grass runway, the airplane's performance would have been degraded and the takeoff distance required would likely have been significantly increased.
Although the pilot's operating handbook for the airplane did not contain information about takeoff performance from unpaved runways, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidance states that any surface that is not hard and smooth increases the ground roll during takeoff due to the inability of the tires to roll smoothly along the runway. FAA guidance also states that the effect of an airplane's gross weight on takeoff distance is significant. Increased gross weight produces several effects on takeoff performance, including higher lift-off speed, greater mass to accelerate, and an increased retarding force (drag and ground friction). The pilot's decision to take off without accounting for the runway condition and the airplane's gross weight on takeoff performance resulted in a long takeoff ground roll, reduced climb capability, and impact with trees at the end of the runway.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to depart from an upsloping, grass runway at or near the airplane's maximum gross weight, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain during takeoff.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N80462/history/20150329/1723Z/KTYR/3T0
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=80462
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Mar-2015 00:14 | Geno | Added |
| 30-Mar-2015 16:11 | bovine | Updated [Time, Registration, Operator, Source] |
| 30-Mar-2015 16:21 | Geno | Updated [Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 31-Mar-2015 00:33 | Geno | Updated [Phase, Nature, Source] |
| 07-Apr-2015 22:18 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 28-Nov-2018 14:42 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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