Beechcraft 300 N398DE

Summary

On 19 October 2000 at about 22:38 local time, a Beechcraft 300 registered N398DE, operated by AeroSmith Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Concord, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 October 2000 at 22:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Concord, California, United States

Nearest airport

Buchanan Field (CCR)

Coordinates

37.9897, -122.0569

Aircraft

Beechcraft 300

Registration

N398DE

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

AeroSmith Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Concord → San Jose

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA019

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff and his failure to utilize the propeller's reverse pitch function.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The twin turboprop airplane overran the runway, impacted two fences, and an occupied automobile after the airline transport pilot attempted to abort a takeoff. The pilot performed a rolling takeoff and was paying close attention to balancing the engine power and keeping runway centerline alignment. As the airplane accelerated, the pilot set the power above 80 percent and began an instrument scan. He then noted the airspeed indicator was reading zero with the needle resting on the peg. After a moment's hesitation, the pilot attempted to abort the takeoff by reducing the power levers to flight idle, and subsequently over the gate to ground fine. He reported to the FAA that he did not place the power controls into the reverse position. Air traffic controllers reported they observed the airplane with its nose wheel off of the ground approximately 3/4 of the way down the 4,602-foot long runway. The aircraft's left and right pitot/static systems were examined and tested after the accident, and no anomalies were noted. The pilot obtained verbal training on rejected/aborted takeoffs for the accident airplane. He obtained his type rating and 14 CFR 135 check-out in the accident airplane approximately 1 month prior to the accident. The pilot had accumulated a total of 10,867.5 hours of flight time, of which 34.7 hours were accumulated in the accident aircraft make and model. The pilot reported his total pilot-in-command flight time in the accident aircraft make and model as 20 hours, all of which were accumulated within the preceding 30 days of the accident. Examination of the airplane, the flight instruments and the pitot/static system found no explanation for the pilot reported lack of airspeed reading. The brakes were found to be fully functional. Review of the performance charts for the airplane disclosed that for the weight and ambient conditions of the takeoff, the airplane required 4,100 feet for an accelerate-stop distance; the runway was 4,602 feet long.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.