Beechcraft T-34 (A-45) N234KC

Summary

On 28 September 2003 at about 19:30 local time, a Beechcraft T-34 (A-45) registered N234KC was involved in an accident near McCall, Idaho, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 September 2003 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

McCall, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

McCall Municipal (MYL)

Coordinates

44.8897, -116.1014

Aircraft

Beechcraft T-34 (A-45)

Registration

N234KC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

McCall → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03LA196

2 people were seriously injured.

The inadequacy of the pilot's remedial action taken in an attempt to fly out of an encounter with the wake vortex turbulence created by a preceding aircraft while on short final to land. Factors include calm winds in the area of the final approach course, and the pilot's inadvertent encounter with wake vortex turbulence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon returning to the airport after a local flight, the pilot sequenced himself into the traffic pattern behind an Aviat Husky that was following a De Havilland Beaver. Just after he rolled out on final with his gear down and his flaps retracted for a no-flap landing, the pilot noticed that the Beaver was pulling off of the runway. He therefore continued on final at an airspeed about 10 to 15 knots above the aircraft's no-flap stall speed. As he neared the runway in calm wind conditions, the pilot concluded that the Husky, which had landed just beyond the threshold, would not be exiting the runway before he touched down. He therefore decided to execute a go-around. As he was adding full power, the aircraft encountered a disturbance most likely created by the Beaver, resulting in the left wing suddenly dropping and the aircraft losing about 50 feet of altitude. As the engine revved to full power, the pilot was able get the wings level and stop the altitude loss, but his remedial action was insufficient to fly out of the disturbance, and almost immediately thereafter the right wing dropped and the aircraft fell another 20 feet onto the terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.