Plane Crash Reports 2003

2003 Plane Crash Report Result

Title: BEECH A36, N323D, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE AND THEN TERRAIN DURING

Report Date: 04/18

Plane Crash Problem: On April 13, 2003, about 1230 mountain standard time, a Beech A36, N323D, collided with a fence and then terrain during takeoff from runway 21 at Sedona, Arizona. Mesa Pilot Development was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) pilot, the private pilot undergoing instruction (PUI), and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The instructional instrument cross-country flight was en route to Williams Gateway Airport, Phoenix, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 34 degrees 50.63 minutes north latitude and 111 degrees 47.69 minutes west longitude. Several witnesses observed the takeoff roll. They all noted that the airplane did not seem to accelerate and was rolling very slowly as it passed the midfield point. Several of the witnesses noted that the flaps were partially down. The witnesses thought the airplane would abort the takeoff. However, it continued and was still on the ground about 80 percent of the way down the runway. One witness observed that the airplane rotated to an exaggerated nose high attitude, and maintained this attitude for about 200 yards with the nose wheel off the ground and the main wheels on the ground. Other witnesses thought the attitude remained the same, and if the airplane left the ground at all, it only attained an altitude of several feet. All of the witnesses that heard the engine reported that it did not sound like it was producing much power. The engine tones stayed steady and the engine sounded smooth. It did not cough, sputter, or backfire, and no one observed smoke or any indications of a problem. The Airport/Facility Directory, Southwest U. S., indicated runway 21 was 5,132 feet long and 75 feet wide. The runway surface was composed of asphalt. The airport elevation was listed as 4,827 feet. Airport administration reported the weather conditions: skies clear; winds from 170 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 24 knots; temperature 68 degrees Fahrenheit; and altimeter 30.05 inHg. The airport perimeter fence sustained mechanical damage about 100 feet right of the extended centerline. Pieces of fence post and wire were located in the main wreckage. The main wreckage was across a canyon, about 1,000 feet away from and several hundred feet lower in elevation than the boundary fence. The Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) and investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Beech, and Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) examined the wreckage at the accident site on April 14, and at the facilities of Air Transport, Phoenix, Arizona, on April 15. Investigators established control continuity for all control surfaces. The airframe manufacturer's representative determined that the landing gear was in the down position, and the flaps were down approximately 15 degrees. Investigators removed the engine, which sustained thermal damage on its left side. The engine lay canted to the left at the accident site. They slung it from a hoist, and removed the top spark plugs. All spark plugs were clean with no mechanical deformation. All plugs exhibited a slightly oval shape and had similar gaps. The spark plug electrodes for cylinder Nos. 1 and 3 were very light gray in color. Cylinder No. 5 was also light gray in color. The top plugs for cylinder Nos. 2, 4, and 6, which were on the left side of the engine, had light soot deposits. The bottom spark plugs for cylinders 1, 3, and 5 were also very light gray, while the bottom plugs for Nos. 2, 4, and 6 were oily. Investigators manually rotated the engine. The engine rotated freely and the valves moved approximately the same amount of lift in firing order. The gears in the accessory case turned freely. Investigators obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in firing order. Investigators manually rotated the magnetos. The left magneto partially melted and could not be tested. The right magneto produced spark at all posts. The vacuum pump drive gear remained unbroken, and the vacuum pump turned freely. The oil filter elements were brittle, but contained no debris. The screens in the fuel distribution valve and fuel metering unit were clean. The fuel nozzles were open and the IIC blew air through the injector lines. The three-bladed propeller, which separated, was about 30 feet from the engine. All of the propeller attach bolts were stripped. The tips of all three blades separated along angular fracture surfaces. Two blades exhibited leading edge gouges, chordwise striations, and curled toward the low pitch (high rpm) position.

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