N2052L

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 10, 2016, about 1215 Pacific daylight time, a Beech B24R Sierra, N2052L, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an attempted departure from Pine Mountain Lake Airport (E45), Groveland, California. The pilot and the passenger/owner received minor injuries. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.

The passenger, who was a student pilot, recently purchased the airplane in an estate sale. Both the pilot and owner lived in Mississippi, and had traveled to E45 to retrieve the airplane, and fly it back to Mississippi. The airplane was domiciled at E45, and had not been maintained, operated, or flown in over 10 years. Subsequent to his purchase, the new owner contracted with a mechanic at E45 to conduct maintenance on the airplane, in preparation for the flight to Mississippi.

The day prior to the accident, both fuel tanks were filled, and the pilot and owner took the airplane for its first flight after its dormant period. The airplane departed on runway 27, and flew one circuit in the airport traffic pattern, as planned. That flight was uneventful. The next day, the pilot and owner planned to again fly the airplane, this time departing the area for some systems evaluations, before returning to E45. This takeoff attempt, which terminated in the accident, was conducted on runway 9. The pilot reported that the first part of the takeoff roll and liftoff "appeared normal but during or at gear retraction the aircraft started losing power." He stated that with about 1,000 feet of runway remaining, the engine "was not producing enough power to climb or accelerate," and that it was apparent the airplane was not going to clear the trees beyond the runway end. The pilot focused on attempting to climb, while simultaneously avoiding a stall.

The airplane struck trees and a utility pole, and then thick underbrush and the ground. The airplane came to rest about 1,800 feet beyond the end of the runway, at a point slightly north (left) of the extended runway centerline. The fracture-separated outboard right wing was located adjacent to the utility pole, and the engine had separated from the fuselage. The fuselage was slightly crumpled and otherwise deformed, but the cabin retained its normal occupiable volume. There was no fire. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONPilot

The pilot reported that for both flights, he was seated in the left front seat, and was the sole manipulator of the controls. He held an airline transport pilot certificate, and reported about 22,800 total hours of flight experience, including about 4,310 hours in single engine airplanes. Prior to his flight in the airplane the day before the accident, the pilot had no experience in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent flight review was completed in May 2015, and his most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate was issued in January 2015.

Owner

The owner was seated in the right front seat for both flights. He reported that he held a student pilot certificate, but had no experience in the accident airplane make and model, and was only an observer on the two fights.

Mechanic

The individual who conducted the maintenance on the airplane for the new owner, and who most recently made entries in, and signed, the airplane maintenance records, resided and had a hangar at E45. He also owned and operated a repair facility, Buchner Aircraft Specialties, at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport (FCH) in Fresno, California. According to FAA records, the individual had previously held a mechanic certificate, with Airframe, Powerplant, and Inspection Authorization (IA) ratings. However, during the period when the mechanic performed the maintenance on the accident airplane and returned it to service, his IA rating was not valid, due to its expiration more than a year prior.

FAA regulations require that IA ratings be renewed biennially, or they become invalid. One renewal method allows the applicant to take approved classes within a specified period near the end of their biennial period. If an applicant fails to renew in that manner within the designated timeframe, they must take specified FAA tests to re-validate their IA rating.

In March 2015, for undetermined reasons, the mechanic did not renew his IA rating within the designated period. He then attempted to re-validate his IA rating by taking the required FAA tests, but he did not successfully pass them; thus his IA rating remained expired/invalid. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONFAA information indicated that the airplane was manufactured in 1976, and was equipped with retractable landing gear, and a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 series engine. The engine drove a constant-speed, two-blade propeller. The airplane's most recent FAA registration expired in 2011.

Excluding the maintenance conducted just prior to the accident, the most recent annual inspection had been completed in December 2005. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONE45 was not equipped with any official weather sensing or recording equipment. Resident and eyewitness reports indicated that about the time of the accident, the temperature was about 75 degrees F (23 C), and there was a light wind from the west. An individual who was a flight instructor and FAA-designated pilot examiner estimated that the tailwind component along runway 9 was about 5 knots.

Calculations using the available information indicated that the temperature was about 14 degrees C above the standard atmosphere value ("ISA"), and that the resulting density altitude was 4,686 feet. AIRPORT INFORMATIONFAA information indicated that the airplane was manufactured in 1976, and was equipped with retractable landing gear, and a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 series engine. The engine drove a constant-speed, two-blade propeller. The airplane's most recent FAA registration expired in 2011.

Excluding the maintenance conducted just prior to the accident, the most recent annual inspection had been completed in December 2005. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONFAA inspectors examined the wreckage the day after the accident, before it was recovered. The airplane struck several trees and came to rest upright, in dense undergrowth. The cabin and fuselage remained relatively intact, which afforded protection for the occupants during impact. Both wings sustained significant impact damage, but remained attached to the fuselage. The left wing remained securely attached. The right wing was partially fracture-separated at the wing root, and its outboard end was fracture-separated; it was found at the base of the power pole that was struck about 20 feet agl. The ailerons and flaps remained attached to their respective wings. The right fuel tank was breached, but the left tank was full of fuel. The vertical stabilizer remained securely attached to the aft fuselage, and the rudder remained securely attached to the vertical stabilizer. The stabilator remained securely attached to the aft fuselage, and the pitch trim tab remained securely attached to the stabilator.

The engine was fracture-separated from the airframe, and came to rest inverted, about 10 feet ahead of the airplane. Both blades of the propeller remained securely installed in the propeller hub, and the hub remained attached to the engine.

All components of the airframe were accounted for, and were located in the debris path, or on or near the airplane. A detailed examination of the recovered wreckage was conducted a few weeks after the accident. There was no evidence of any in-flight or post-accident fire. No evidence consistent with any pre-impact malfunctions or failures of any airframe components that would have precluded continued normal operation was observed.

The fuselage had been cut for recovery, but flight control continuity was established for all flight controls. The cockpit stabilator trim tab indicator was observed to be set within the normal takeoff range. The stabilator trim actuator extension measurement was consistent with a stabilator trim tab position of 10º training edge down. However, because the fuselage had been cut and otherwise disturbed for the recovery, these values could not be considered to represent the takeoff pitch trim setting.

Witness marks on both sides of the fuselage, and on the inboard ends of both flaps, indicated that the flaps were in the retracted position at the time of impact. This was corroborated by flap jackscrew extension and cockpit position indicator information. The cockpit flap control was a momentary paddle-type switch, and the flap position indicator was a circular display with a face diameter of about 1 inch. Both were situated on the right side instrument sub-panel, just to the right of the center-mounted engine control quadrant.

Damage patterns were consistent with the landing gear being near- or fully-retracted at the time of impact; the three landing gear were essentially undamaged. The landing gear control handle was in the UP position.

The airspeed indicator was properly marked; the colored speed arcs were in accordance with the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) values.

All three engine control (throttle, mixture, and propeller) push-pull cables had been fracture-separated from their respective engine components, at locations forward of the firewall; all three exhibited continuity from the cockpit control to the fracture locations forward of the firewall.

The fuel boost pump switch was set to the OFF, and the fuel selector valve was set to the right tank. Detailed examination of the airframe fuel system, including operation of the fuel boost pump and internal inspections of all components, did not reveal any indications of any pre-impact anomalies or deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation.

The engine bore no evidence of any pre-impact damage or failures. The engine-driven fuel pump was fracture-separ...