Wirestrike Accident Republic RC-3 Seabee N87487,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 66071
 
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Date:Wednesday 1 July 2009
Time:09:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic RC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Republic RC-3 Seabee
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N87487
MSN: 38
Total airframe hrs:1192 hours
Engine model:Franklin 6A8 SERIES
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Burley, Idaho -   United States of America
Phase: Initial climb
Nature:Training
Departure airport:Burley, ID
Destination airport:Caldwell, ID (EUL)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The student pilot reported that despite his request for the airplane to be refueled with 30 gallons of fuel prior to takeoff, the fixed base operator had filled the airplane with 67.7 gallons of fuel. The flight instructor reported that after the student pilot was notified that the airplane had been topped off with fuel, he "ran the numbers in [his] head and determined it would be fine because of the same conditions that were present" for takeoff from a different airport earlier in the day. The student pilot reported that while on the initial climb from the airport, the airplane stopped climbing and began to descend. At an altitude of 100 feet above ground level, the flight instructor took control of the airplane to ensure a proper climbout speed was maintained. The airplane continued to descend and collided with power lines. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and impacted the ground in a vacant lot. A witness reported that the airplane slowly accelerated down the 4,067-foot-long runway and used approximately 85 to 90 percent of the available runway to become airborne. The witness observed the airplane "climbing at an extremely slow rate," and stated it appeared that "the pilot attempted to increase the rate of climb twice," which resulted in the airplane’s "left wing starting to dip as it appeared to be approaching a stall." Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the empennage had separated from the fuselage just aft of the cabin and that the rudder, vertical stabilizer, nose, and wings were structurally damaged. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the engine or airframe. Takeoff performance calculations for the reported weather conditions revealed that the airplane’s required takeoff distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle was 3,921 feet on a paved surface.
Probable Cause: The flight instructor's failure to maintain clearance from power lines during takeoff.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: WPR09LA323
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 8 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
01-Jul-2009 20:57 slowkid Added
01-Jul-2009 21:50 slowkid Updated
02-Jul-2009 02:58 slowkid Updated
25-Nov-2009 03:08 slowkid Updated
25-Nov-2009 03:11 Anon. Updated
21-Dec-2016 19:25 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
02-Dec-2017 15:49 ASN Update Bot Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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