Beechcraft A45 N34KF

Summary

On 12 February 2008 at about 22:05 local time, a Beechcraft A45 registered N34KF, operated by Goldwing Aviation, LLC, was involved in an accident near Englewood, Colorado, United States. 2 people were 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

12 February 2008 at 22:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Englewood, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Centennial Airport (APA)

Coordinates

39.5700, -104.8492

Aircraft

Beechcraft A45

Registration

N34KF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Goldwing Aviation, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Englewood → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN08LA057

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper decision to fly the airplane with a discharged battery, which resulted in a total electrical failure during takeoff climb. Contributing factors were the pilot's inability to verify the landing gear position, and the impact with the runway sign.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the airplane the battery was dead, and he used an external source to "charge/start the airplane." The taxi and initial takeoff were uneventful. During the landing gear retraction after takeoff, the airplane "lost total electrical power." The pilot elected to continue the flight and troubleshoot the electrical failure. With no electrical power, the pilot had no communications, and had to manually extend the landing gear. A second airplane flew near the accident airplane to help verify that the landing gear was extended. The landing gear appeared to be extended, and the pilot attempted to land the airplane. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane went off the runway. The right wing impacted a runway sign, and the nose landing gear and left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest upright approximately 10 feet off the runway. An examination of the airplane showed that the aircraft battery was completely discharged. The owner of the airplane reported that the alternator would not be able to handle the electrical load during landing gear retraction without battery power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.