Beechcraft 58 N23AM

Summary

On 22 May 2001 at about 23:45 local time, a Beechcraft 58 registered N23AM was involved in an accident near Gaylord, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 2001 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Gaylord, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Beechcraft 58

Registration

N23AM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gaylord → Owosso

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01LA140

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot not maintaining directional control during the reported loss of number one engine power during initial climb and the pilot not following the airplane emergency procedure's corrective action for engine failure after lift-off, and the inadvertent stall/spin he encountered. Factors were the high grass on the runway, the runway grass cutting maintenance not being performed by the pilot/airstrip owner, and the unsuitable terrain used by the pilot.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain following an in-flight loss of control following a reported loss of engine power during initial climb on takeoff. The pilot was uninjured. The passenger sustained minor injuries. The pilot stated, "Within seconds of rotation I perceived an abrupt hard yaw to the left with near simultaneous rolling of the right wing up and activation of stall warning horn. I reflexly applied hard right rudder [and] [aileron] [and] pushed the nose down which partial reduced the yaw [and] roll. We continued to rotate in a spin with the left wing tip striking the ground [and] spun tail first into the ground. The entire incident from perception of yaw to ground strike occurred in a matter of a second or two." The pilot stated he had a "power loss [left] engine." FAA inspectors performed an on-scene examination of the wreckage. An inspector stated, "... I immediately noticed the grass had not been mowed and the approximate length of the grass was 16" to 18" high. ... The landing gear collapsed during impact, left and right wings were twisted and bent. The left and right engines broke free from the mounts, and the aft fuselage section including the empennage completely separated from the forward section (just aft of the aft facing seats) and came to rest on the top inboard section of the left wing and engine. I was unable to determine any anomalies." The left engine was test run and it produced rated power. The Beech 58 manual's emergency procedures section stated, " Where practicable, the emergencies requiring immediate corrective action are treated in check list form for easy reference and familiarization. Other situations, in which more time is usually permitted to decide on and execute a plan of action, are discussed at some length. ... ENGINE FAILURE AFTER LIFT-OFF AND IN FLIGHT ... The most important aspect of engine failure is the necessity to maintain lateral and directional control. ... An immediate landing is advisable regardless of take-off weight. ..."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.