Beechcraft B19 N5119R

Summary

On 14 September 2002 at about 15:55 local time, a Beechcraft B19 registered N5119R was involved in an accident near Delta, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 September 2002 at 15:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Delta, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Blake Field (1V9)

Coordinates

38.7967, -108.0522

Aircraft

Beechcraft B19

Registration

N5119R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Delta → Albany

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN02FA106

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to properly plan and compensate for the high density altitude conditions, resulting in partial engine power during takeoff, his failure to abort the takeoff, and his failure to maintain aircraft control on initial climb. Contributing factors were the high density altitude conditions, the pilot's total lack of experience in flying in these conditions, and an inadvertent stall/mush.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had recently undergone a pre-purchase annual inspection. The operator had purchased the airplane from a private individual, and the pilot had volunteered to ferry it to its new owner as a means of accumulating flight time. The previous owner flew the airplane the previous day and reported no discrepancies. The airplane was then serviced to its 60-gallon capacity. On the morning of the accident, the pilot taxied to the end of the runway and performed pretakeoff checks. Witnesses said the magneto checks sounded normal, albeit brief. As takeoff power was applied, the engine "began to pop, stutter, and sputter," and "continued to do so the entire length of the runway." The engine was "producing less than full power, about 1,700 to 1,800 rpm," and the airplane was "not accelerating." The airplane lifted off near the end of the 5,600-foot runway (1.5 percent uphill grade), flew in ground effect and barely cleared sagebrush and a barbed wire perimeter fence. The left wing dipped and the airplane disappeared below the mesa and into a valley. The airplane struck the ground next to a golf course, exploded, and burned. A family relative said that the pilot had never flown into or out of high elevation airports, and was unsure of what to expect. The pilot's toxicology was positive for diazepam, a tranquilizer. Valium, its generic name, is a tranquilizer and may cause drowziness. It is contraindicated for flying.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.