Douglas DC-3/65AR N834TP
4 February 2009 · Mojave, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 February 2009 at about 16:52 local time, a Douglas DC-3/65AR registered N834TP, operated by National Test Pilot School, was involved in an accident near Mojave, California, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:52
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mojave, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Mojave (MHV)
- Coordinates
- 35.0586, -118.1506
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-3/65AR
- Registration
- N834TP
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- National Test Pilot School
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Mojave → Mojave
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR09LA108
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The student pilot failed to follow the checklist and set the takeoff trim properly prior to takeoff resulting in a loss of directional control. Contributing to the accident were the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During the takeoff roll, the airplane began to drift to the right. Despite the certified flight instructor's and student's attempts, they were unable to stop the yaw and drift. As the airplane was about to depart the runway, the pilots did not reduce the throttles or apply brakes as they felt that it would be safer to attempt to get airborne. After departing the runway surface, the airplane collided with a series of berms, which sheared off the left landing gear and left engine. The right landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude. Post accident examination revealed that the student pilot had inadvertently set the rudder trim to the full right position when he adjusted the rudder pedals during the prestart checks. The rudder trim was in the full right position for the takeoff, and found in the same position upon post accident inspection.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Douglas DC-3 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May 2007 | Douglas DC-3 | Acaricuara, Colombia | Aerovanguardia LTDA | Unknown | - |
| 31 Jul 2007 | Douglas DC-3 | Puerto Concord, Colombia | Sadelca LTDA | No injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2006 | Douglas DC-3 | Beluga, Alaska, United States | Transnorthern Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2006 | Douglas DC-3 | St. Thomas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 2004 | Douglas DC-3 | Vichada, Colombia | Viarco | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Nov 2002 | Douglas DC-3 | Port Alsworth, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2009 | Cessna 172P | Livermore, California, United States | Wollard Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-38-112 | Ojai, California, United States | Aviation Pacific Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Feb 2009 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Fallbrook, California, United States | M.Y. Air Corp | No injuries | - |
| 28 Feb 2009 | Mooney M20E | Rio Linda, California, United States | David Michaud | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Nov 2009 | Curtiss-Wright TRAVEL AIR 4000 | Torrance, California, United States | Smith Richard Charles | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-24-260 | Santa Barbara, California, United States | Kris S Michel | No injuries | - |