Summary
On June 26, 2008, a Beech A36 (N824C) was involved in an accident near Ryegate, MT. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury, with 2 people uninjured out of 3 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff when the ground roll acceleration profile was determined to be insufficient for takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the shifting wind conditions.
The pilot reported that prior to departure he checked the weather and performed a preflight inspection. He observed the direction of the windsock, and stated that it favored a takeoff from runway 23. He completed an uneventful run-up, and began the takeoff roll. Halfway down the turf runway he observed the airplane's airspeed to be indicating 60 knots. He stated that at this point on the takeoff roll he expected the airspeed to have reached 70 knots. The airplane continued to accelerate to 65 knots, and with the end of the runway approaching, the pilot 'forced' the airplane airborne and retracted the landing gear. The airplane settled to the ground and then collided with trees at the end of the runway.
This accident is documented in NTSB report LAX08CA173. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N824C.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff when the ground roll acceleration profile was determined to be insufficient for takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the shifting wind conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported that prior to departure he checked the weather and performed a preflight inspection. He observed the direction of the windsock, and stated that it favored a takeoff from runway 23. He completed an uneventful run-up, and began the takeoff roll. Halfway down the turf runway he observed the airplane's airspeed to be indicating 60 knots. He stated that at this point on the takeoff roll he expected the airspeed to have reached 70 knots. The airplane continued to accelerate to 65 knots, and with the end of the runway approaching, the pilot 'forced' the airplane airborne and retracted the landing gear. The airplane settled to the ground and then collided with trees at the end of the runway. The pilot observed the wind direction after the accident, and noted that it was out of the northeast. He opined that the airplane had encountered a sudden wind shift or downdraft during the takeoff roll.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX08CA173