Piston Beech Accidents 6/6/2013 through 6/12/2013
Official information from FAA and NTSB sources (unless otherwise noted) Editorial comments (contained in parentheses), year-to-date summary and closing comments are those of the author. All information is preliminary and subject to change. Comments on preliminary topics are meant solely to enhance flying safety. Please use these reports to help you more accurately evaluate the potential risks when you make your own decisions about how and when to fly. © 2013 Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All Rights Reserved
THE WEEKLY ACCIDENT UPDATE IS AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCT OF MASTERY FLIGHT TRAINING, INC.
New reports this week
6/9 1922Z (1322 local): A Be24 "crashed on departure" at Colorado Springs, Colorado's Meadow Lake Airport. The pilot and passenger were unhurt despite "substantial" aircraft damage. N1854P (MC-766) is/was a 1982 C24R recently registered in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
("Takeoff/Unknown"; "Substantial damage"--engine failure on takeoff? Density altitude-related failure to climb?)
New NTSB reports this
week
Events previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update
5/23 A36 stall during an aborted takeoff at Atlanta, Georgia. The pilot "performed a static takeoff, and double checked that all instruments were normal and in the green before releasing the brakes. At 50 knots indicated airspeed he cross-checked the instruments and everything was normal. He would normally try and rotate around 80-84 Knots and leave the landing gear down as long as there was runway remaining. He could not recall exactly what speed he rotated at, but it was 'probably around 80 knots'. Because of the cross wind, he applied left aileron during the takeoff. As he rotated, something didn't feel right. The stall warning horn started "chirping", the plane then turned into the wind, and did not takeoff with 'its usual vigor'. He leveled off to stop the stall horn and it still didn't feel right. The engine also didn't sound right. He believed that something was wrong and that he should abort the takeoff. He was not sure of his exact altitude at this point, but guessed that he was probably 30 feet above ground level. The engine, or prop, still didn't sound right. He still had runway remaining ahead of him and the landing gear was still down, so he radioed that he was 'putting it back down'. He decided to land on the runway and not risk an over run, so he reduced power and tried to glide it in. Shortly thereafter, the stall warning horn 'blared', the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and impacted the runway." Change "Crash/Unknown" to "Stall/Aborted Takeoff", and "Weather/Unknown" to "VMC".
5/28 double-fatality A36 crash on takeoff at Flagstaff, Arizona. As originally reported, density altitude was likely a contributing factor, along with a gusty, 26-knot wind.
SUMMARY: Reported Beechcraft piston mishaps, 2013:
Total reported: 62 reports
Environment
Operation in VMC: 25 reports
Operation in IMC: 4 reports
Weather “unknown” or
“not reported”: 33 reports
Operation at night: 2 reports
Surface wind > 15 knots: 0 reports
Injuries
Fatal accidents: 8 reports
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 4 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 19 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 9 reports
Other factors
FAA's new aircraft triennial registration rule means it is impossible to tell whether an airplane registration was because of a change in ownership or simply compliance with the new regulation. Consequently we will no longer track the number of mishaps that occur in the first year of registered ownership. Over 12 years of the Weekly Accident Update has shown that, consistently, about 20% of all piston Beechcraft accidents happen in the first year of ownership.
FAA preliminary reports no longer identify the purpose of the flight involved in mishap. Consequently the number and percentage of Beech mishaps that occur during dual instruction will become less and less accurate over time. Since the late 1990s the percentage of Beech mishaps that take place during dual flight instruction has remained very consistently about 10%.
By Aircraft Type
Be35 Bonanza 18 reports
Be36 Bonanza 13 reports
Be58 Baron 7 reports
Be23 Musketeer/Sundowner/Custom 5 reports
Be33 Debonair/Bonanza 5 reports
Be24 Sierra 3 reports
Be55 Baron 3 reports
Be60 Duke 2 reports
Be76 Duchess 2 reports
Be17 Staggerwing 1 report
Be19 Sport 1 report
Be95 Travel Air 1 report
Be18 Twin Beech 0 reports
Be45 (T-34) Mentor 0 reports
Be50 Twin Bonanza 0 reports
Be56 Turbo Baron 0 reports
Be58 Baron 0 reports
Be65 Queen Air 0 reports
Be77 Skipper 0 reports
PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION
OF CAUSE
(all subject to update per NTSB findings):
Landing gear-related mishaps (19 reports)
Gear collapse on landing
10 reports (Be24; four Be35s; Be55; two Be58s; Be95)
Gear up landing
4 reports (two Be35s; Be36; Be55)
Landing with partially extended gear/known mechanical failure
2 reports (Be60; Be76)
Nose gear collapse on landing--towbar attached
1 report (Be58)
Gear collapse during taxi
1 report (Be35)
Wheel separation on takeoff
1 report (Be33)
Engine failure (13 reports)
Engine failure in flight
6 reports (two Be33s; Be35; three Be36s)
Engine failure on approach/landing
2 reports (Be33; Be35)
Fuel exhaustion
1 report (Be60)
Fuel starvation
1 report (Be36)
Ditching after reported engine failure
1 report (Be58)
Engine failure immediately after takeoff
1 report (Be35)
Simultaneous dual engine failure
1 report (Be58)
Impact on landing (10 reports)
Loss of directional control on landing
4 reports (Be19; Be35; Be36; Be58)
Hard landing
3 reports (all Be23s)
Landed short
1 report (Be36)
Landed long/runway overrun
1 report (Be35)
Bounced landing
1 report (Be35)
Miscellaneous (6 reports)
Taxi into object
3 reports (Be17; Be35; Be36)
Bird strike
1 report (Be76)
Inadvertent shutdown of both engines during instructional flight
1 report (Be18)
Engine fire after landing
1 report (Be58)
Loss of control in flight (3 reports)
Loss of control/Instrument approach
2 reports (Be35; Be36)
Attempted flight in freezing rain
1 report (Be58)
Stall/Spin (3 reports)
Flat spin
1 report (Be55)
Loss of control immediately after takeoff/high density altitude
1 report (Be36)
Stall/Aborted Takeoff
1 report (Be36)
Impact on takeoff (1 report)
Runway overrun/aborted takeoff
1 report (Be23)
Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) (1 report)
Controlled Flight into Terrain/Mountains in IMC
1 report (Be35)
Tail vibration/control flutter (1 report)
Tail vibration/normal descent
1 report (Be35)
Unknown (4 reports)
Crash/unknown
1 report (Be36)
Landing/unknown
2 reports (Be23; Be24)
Takeoff/unknown
1 report (Be24)
*****
Impact on landing (0 reports)
Loss of directional control on landing
Landed short
Runway overrun
Struck animal/object on the runway during landing
Collision with obstacles on approach
Collision with obstacles/go-around
Loss of directional control on landing/brake failure
Wingtip strike on landing--gusty wind
Miscellaneous (0 reports)
Blown tire on landing
Midair collision
Bird strike in cruise flight
Taxiway excursion
Bird strike during initial climb
Struck by taxiing aircraft
Lost control; Struck obstacle/aircraft during attempted hand start
Fire on the ground during fueling
Damage resulting from turbulence encounter
Cabin/baggage compartment fire in flight
Brake overheat/fire during taxi
Impact on takeoff (0 reports)
Failure to attain climb
Loss of directional control on takeoff
Impact with obstacle on takeoff
Failure to attain climb on takeoff--density altitude
Loss of control in flight (0 reports)
Loss of control--attempted visual flight in IMC
Inflight breakup/attempted thunderstorm penetration
Loss of control/severe turbulence encounter in IMC
Loss of control/Attempted thunderstorm penetration in cruise
Loss of control during approach in IMC
Loss of control--attempted visual flight in IMC, ground fog
Recognize an N-number? Want to check on friends or family that may have been involved in a cited mishap? Click here to find the registered owner. Please accept my sincere personal condolences if you or anyone you know was involved in a mishap. I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms.