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| Date: | Saturday 26 March 1988 |
| Time: | 12:30 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft D95A Travel Air |
| Owner/operator: | private |
| Registration: | N8855M |
| MSN: | TD591 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3495 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360-B1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Santa Maria, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Santa Maria, CA (SMX) |
| Santa Ynez, CA (IZA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
ATCT CONTROLLERS REPORTED THAT THE INITIAL GROUND ROLL, ROTATION AND LIFT OFF SEEMED NORMAL. AS THE AIRCRAFT PASSED THE TOWER CAB AT ABOUT 80 FT AGL, IT WAS SEEN TO 'APPRECIABLY SLOW AND YAW TO THE LEFT JUST LIKE A PRACTICE ENGINE CUT' THE CONTROLLERS HAD SEEN ON PRIOR OCCASIONS. WITNESSES SAW THE AIRCRAFT LEVEL OFF MOMENTARILY THEN BEGIN A CLIMB. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A LEFT TURN, CONTINUED TO ROLL TO A NEAR INVERTED ATTITUDE AND DOVE INTO THE GROUND. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LEFT PROP WAS AT THE LOW PITCH STOP AT IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOTALLY CONSUMED BY THE POST CRASH FIRE AND THE REASON FOR THE ENGINE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE PILOT HAD FLOWN 32 HOURS IN THE PAST 15 MONTHS AND THAT THE LAST EMERGENCY TRAINING WAS TWO YEARS BEFORE. CAUSE: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF POWER IN THE LEFT ENGINE AND TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X25269
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
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