Cessna 320-D N4111T

Summary

On 15 May 2003 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 320-D registered N4111T was involved in an accident near EL Paso, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 May 2003 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

EL Paso, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

El Paso International (ELP)

Coordinates

31.8039, -106.3778

Aircraft

Cessna 320-D

Registration

N4111T

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

EL Paso → Roswell

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA150

1 person was seriously injured.

the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing factors were the gusty and high wind conditions, and the pilot's failure to compensate for the wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While executing a left turn for a crosswind departure, approximately 700-800 feet agl, the 1,104-hour private pilot reported he "lost the left engine," and the pilot attempted to land on the airport taxiway. The airplane impacted the hard surface taxiway in a left wing nose low attitude, came to rest upright, and was partially consumed by a post-impact fire. Prior to departure, the pilot performed an engine run-up and the run-up was normal. One witness reported the takeoff was normal, and the airplane made a left turn for a crosswind departure. During the turn, the left wing came down, then the right, then the left again, and the airplane developed a very high sink rate. Two other witnesses reported the airplane "seemed like it was in trouble...something [was] terribly wrong...the aircraft may have stalled then pitched nose down and then we knew he was coming down." Approximately the time of the accident, the winds were reported 22 knots, gusting to 40 knots, and peak winds from 40 to 44 knots. According to the airplane's performance charts, the calculated airplane's single-engine climb performance was approximately 300 feet per minute. Examination of the airframe and engines did not disclose any structural or mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. The reason for the reported loss of engine power was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.