Aerospatiale SN-601 N600RA

Summary

On 19 March 1998 at about 17:18 local time, a Aerospatiale SN-601 registered N600RA, operated by Redmond Flight Center, was involved in an accident near Portland, Oregon, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 March 1998 at 17:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Portland, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Portland International (PDX)

Coordinates

45.5293, -122.6797

Aircraft

Aerospatiale SN-601

Registration

N600RA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Redmond Flight Center

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Redmond

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA98FA047

Nobody was injured.

The pilot-in-command's decision to attempt takeoff with the right engine inoperative, resulting in his failure to maintain directional control or attain adequate airspeed during the takeoff attempt. Factors included a fractured right engine starter-generator drive shaft, resulting in an inability to perform a normal engine start on the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recording indicated that the pilot was unable to start the right engine before takeoff, and elected to attempt takeoff with the right engine inoperative. Witnesses reported that the airplane's nose lifted off about 4,100 feet down the runway and that it then became airborne with its wings rocking, attaining a maximum altitude of 5 to 10 feet above the ground before settling back to the ground, departing the right side of the runway and entering an upright slide for about 1/2 mile. Investigators removed the right engine starter-generator from the engine after the accident and found the starter-generator drive shaft to be fractured. The aircraft has a minimum crew requirement of two, consisting of pilot and copilot; the copilot's seat occupant, a private pilot-rated passenger, did not hold a multiengine rating and thus was not qualified to act as second-in-command of the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.