NTSB Identification: WPR11LA361
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, July 30, 2011 in Perris, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/12/2013
Aircraft: BEECH 76, registration: N6718X
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor,2 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
According to the pilot, he loaded the airplane to near its maximum certificated gross weight before departing from near the 5,100-foot-long runway's midfield location. The pilot selected runway 15, which had a 6-knot tailwind component at the time of the attempted takeoff. During the engine run-up, no mechanical discrepancies were noted. The engine attained full power before the pilot released the brakes to commence the takeoff roll. Prior to reaching the prescribed rotation airspeed, the airplane's nose pitched up and the airplane became airborne. The pilot reported that he continued attempting to maintain control of the airplane while in ground effect. The airplane then climbed above ground effect, and the left cockpit door inadvertently opened. Just as the pilot closed the door, the airplane stalled, impacted an estimated 6-foot high dirt berm, and crashed into an open field about 1,000 feet south of the runway's departure end. During the postaccident examination, about 40 gallons of fuel were found in each of the two wing tanks, for a total of 80 gallons onboard at the time of the accident. The elevator trim tab was found in the full nose-up position, and examination of that system disclosed normal function. All of the items from the baggage compartment were removed and weighed on a scale; the baggage compartment contents weighed 288 pounds, which is 88 pounds above the compartment limit. Using the airplane’s empty weight and center of gravity listed in the weight and balance section of the airplane flight manual (AFM), the actual weights of the occupants, the fuel load found on the airplane, and the weight of the baggage compartment contents, the investigation determined that the airplane’s gross weight at the accident site was 4,173.41 pounds, with a center of gravity (CG) 117.9 inches aft of the datum. The AFM and the FAA-approved Type Certificate Data sheet list the maximum allowable gross weight as 3,900 pounds with an aft CG limit at 117.5 inches. Airplanes at or aft of the rear CG limit are very sensitive in pitch control, and may even be at or near a dynamically unstable flight regime in terms of pitch handling and dampening characteristics. Accordingly, the airplane would have been especially sensitive to the full nose-up trim tab adjustment. Additionally, stall speeds increase as gross weight increases, so in the takeoff condition the airplane would have stalled at a higher airspeed, sooner than the pilot would have normally experienced and expected.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control and the resulting encounter with an aerodynamic stall. Also causal were the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and preflight inspection, his failure to ensure the pitch trim was positioned correctly for takeoff, his decision to operate the airplane over maximum allowable gross weight, and his attempt to operate the airplane with a center of gravity aft of the rear CG limit.
On July 30, 2011, about 0825 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 76 (Duchess), N6718X, impacted terrain during initial climb seconds after takeoff from runway 15 at the Perris Valley Airport, Perris, California. Of the four occupants on board the airplane, the private pilot was seriously injured, one passenger received minor injuries, and two passengers were not injured. The airplane's fuselage and wings were deformed during the impact, and the airplane was substantially damaged. California Flight Center, Inc., Long Beach, California, operated the airplane and had rented it to the pilot for his personal flight. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed for the planned cross-country flight to Paso Robles, California. The flight was originating at the time of the crash.
The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and was familiar with the airplane's takeoff performance and runway distance requirements. According to the pilot, he loaded the airplane to near its maximum certificated gross weight, and he elected to depart from near the 5,100-foot-long runway's mid-field location. The pilot stated that he adhered to the prescribed procedures written in the airplane's check lists. During the engine run-up, no mechanical discrepancies were noted. Full engine power was attained, the brakes were released, and the takeoff roll commenced. However, prior to reaching the prescribed rotation airspeed, the airplane's nose pitched up, and the airplane became airborne. The pilot further reported that he continued attempting to maintain control of the airplane while in ground effect. The airplane climbed over one wingspan above the ground. When the left side cockpit door inadvertently opened, he was able to close it. Thereafter, the airplane stalled, impacted an estimated 6-foot high dirt berm, and crashed into an open field about 1,000 feet south of the runway's departure end.
The winds at a nearby airport 6 miles away was from 330 degrees at 6 knots a the time of the accident.
FAA inspectors from the Riverside, California, Flight Standards District Office responded to the accident site. The Chief Pilot for the operator also responded to assist in the recovery and removal of the aircraft from the site. About 40 gallons of fuel were found in each of the two wing tanks, for a total of 80 gallons onboard at the time of the accident. The elevator trim tab was found in the full nose up position, and examination of the system disclosed normal function. The FAA inspectors removed all the items from the baggage compartment and weighed them on a scale; the baggage compartment contents weighed 288 pounds. The baggage compartment structural limit is listed as 200 pounds in the airplane flight manual (AFM).
Utilizing the aircraft empty weight and center of gravity listed in the weight and balance section of the AFM, the actual weights of the occupants, the fuel load found on the airplane, and the weight of the baggage compartment contents, the inspectors determined that the aircraft gross weight at the accident site was 4,173.41 pounds with a center of gravity at 117.9 inches aft of the datum. The AFM and the FAA approved Type Certificate Data sheet lists the maximum allowable gross weight as 3,900 pounds with an aft center of gravity limit at 117.5 inches.
NTSB Identification: WPR11LA361
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, July 30, 2011 in Perris, CA
Aircraft: BEECH 76, registration: N6718X
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor,2 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 30, 2011, about 0825 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 76 (Duchess), N6718X, impacted terrain during initial climb seconds after takeoff from runway 15 at the Perris Valley Airport, Perris, California. Of the four occupants on board the airplane, the private pilot was seriously injured, one passenger received minor injuries, and two passengers were not injured. The airplane's fuselage and wings were deformed during the impact, and the airplane was substantially damaged. California Flight Center, Inc., Long Beach, California, operated the airplane and had rented it to the pilot for his personal flight. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed for the planned cross-country flight to Paso Robles, California. The flight was originating at the time of the crash.
The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and was familiar with the airplane's takeoff performance and runway distance requirements. According to the pilot, he loaded the airplane to near its maximum certificated gross weight, and he elected to depart from near the 5,100-foot-long runway's midfield location. The pilot stated that he adhered to the prescribed procedures written in the airplane's check lists. During the engine run-up, no mechanical discrepancies were noted. Full engine power was attained, the brakes were released, and the takeoff roll commenced. However, prior to reaching the prescribed rotation airspeed, the airplane's nose pitched up, and the airplane became airborne. The pilot further reported that he maintained control of the airplane while it was in ground effect. As the airplane continued to climb and was over one wingspan above the ground, the left side cockpit door inadvertently opened. The pilot stated that he was able to close the door. However, the airplane began to roll from side to side, indicating it was stalling. The pilot decreased the airplane's pitch attitude in an effort at recovering.
The airplane impacted an estimated 6-foot-high dirt berm, and crashed into an open field about 1,000 feet south of the runway's departure end.
The Safety Board investigator and Federal Aviation Administration personnel are evaluating the local wind condition, runway distance and airplane performance data including its weight and balance, and the airplane's door latching mechanism.
Last month's crash of a heavily loaded plane at Perris Valley Airport happened after the pilot decided to begin takeoff about halfway down the runway, federal crash investigators said.
The pilot was seriously injured, one passenger was slightly hurt and two other passengers escaped without injury when the twin-engine Beechcraft Duchess slammed into a 6-foot-high dirt berm in a field about 1,000 feet south of the runway's departure end, the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report said.
The pilot had rented the four-seat plane from California Flight Center in Long Beach. He took off at 8:25 a.m. July 30 on a flight that was supposed to end in Paso Robles.
"According to the pilot, he loaded the airplane to near its maximum certificated gross weight, and he elected to depart from near the 5,100-foot-long runway's midfield location," the report said. "Full engine power was attained, the brakes were released and the takeoff roll commenced.
But the plane became airborne before the prescribed takeoff speed was attained, the report said.
The pilot, whose name was not released, told investigators he initially kept the airplane under control, but his door flew open just as the plane began to climb.
"The pilot stated that he was able to close the door. However, the airplane began to roll from side to side, indicating it was stalling," the investigators wrote. "The pilot decreased the airplane's pitch attitude in an effort at recovering."
But it was too late.
Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigators are evaluating the wind conditions at the time of the crash, the runway distance, the plane's performance data, its weight during the takeoff and the door latching mechanism.
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