Beechcraft 55 N4783M

Summary

On 21 May 2001 at about 13:55 local time, a Beechcraft 55 registered N4783M was involved in an accident near West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was 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

21 May 2001 at 13:55

Classification

Accident

Location

West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Brandywine Airport (N99)

Coordinates

39.9944, -75.5833

Aircraft

Beechcraft 55

Registration

N4783M

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Chester → Reading

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD01LA058

Nobody was injured.

The partial blockage of the pitot/static system, which led to an inaccurate airspeed indication, and resulted in an aborted takeoff and runway overrun. A factor was the wet runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airspeed indicator would not exceed 65 knots during the takeoff roll. He aborted the takeoff, but the airplane continued off the end of the runway, and came to rest in a parking lot. An airspeed calibration test was performed, and the airspeed indicator read about 10 knots higher than the test equipment. Further examination of the system revealed that the pitot tube was blocked with a "corrosion-type material". The airspeed indicator was then removed from the airplane and bench tested. The indicator read about 4-5 knots higher than the test equipment. The most recent pitot-static system check was performed on March 14, 2001.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.