Cessna P210N N45SE

Summary

On 28 September 2005 at about 23:15 local time, a Cessna P210N registered N45SE was involved in an accident near Salmon, Idaho, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 September 2005 at 23:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Salmon, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Flying B Ranch Landing Strip (12ID)

Coordinates

44.9681, -114.7328

Aircraft

Cessna P210N

Registration

N45SE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salmon → Boise

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA05FA201

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to obtain airspeed during the initial takeoff climb, which resulted in a stall/mush and subsequent collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were returning home after spending several days on an elk hunting trip in the Idaho backcountry. One of them had shot an elk, and they loaded the airplane with the four elk quarters and their personal gear. A witness heard the airplane taking off and it "didn't sound right." He looked towards the 2,000-foot-long grass airstrip and saw the airplane "barely off the ground" heading south. The witness stated that the airplane was "wallowing back and forth, trying to stall out." He further stated that the "motor sounded like a boat cavitating" and "the nose of the airplane was pointed up." The witness watched the airplane as it veered left and impacted the ground tail first. The airplane's nose then "slammed into the ground," and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. A fire erupted, which destroyed the fuselage and the inboard sections of the wings. The accident site was about 1/4 mile from the end of the runway, offset to the left of the runway centerline, and approximately the same elevation as the runway. The site was located on level grass covered terrain. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation. The pilot began flying the airplane, which had been modified by replacement of its original reciprocating engine with a gas turbine engine, about 4 months before the accident and according to his logbook, had accumulated about 22 hours flight time in it. He had about 1,167 hours in other non-modified airplanes of the same make and model. An estimated weight and balance placed the airplane's takeoff weight at 3,729.4 pounds, which was below the maximum gross weight of 4,000 pounds. The estimated center of gravity was 48.57 inches, which was within, but near, the aft limit of 49 inches. A short field landing performance chart indicated that for the approximate accident conditions, the takeoff ground roll would be 1,581 feet and the total distance to clear a 50 foot obstacle would be 2,461 feet. A pilot, who had experience flying the accident airplane, stated the following with respect to its performance: "Weight and balance is very, very critical. With weight aft, you really need to hold the nose down and gain airspeed on takeoff."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.