Beechcraft D-45 N34KT

Summary

On 5 November 2011 at about 20:44 local time, a Beechcraft D-45 registered N34KT was involved in an accident near Williston, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 November 2011 at 20:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Williston, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Wings Field Airport (96FL)

Coordinates

29.2436, -82.5461

Aircraft

Beechcraft D-45

Registration

N34KT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Williston → Daytona Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12FA062

2 people died.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain airspeed in changing wind conditions during a steep climb after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s ostentatious display close to the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses observed the airplane take off on a turf runway surrounded by trees. The airplane appeared to perform an exaggerated soft-field takeoff and became airborne within a couple of hundred feet. It then ballooned up and started to settle but then leveled off just above the runway and accelerated. When the airplane passed abeam friends of the flight instructor who were near the runway, they reported observing a few puffs of smoke emanating from the airplane's smoke system and the airplane's wings wagging up and down. When the airplane reached the end of the runway, witnesses saw it pitch up abruptly to a steep nose-up attitude and climb to about 200 feet above ground level. It then yawed and rolled left while pitching nose down. Witnesses observed the nose of the airplane oscillate up and down before the airplane descended rapidly and impacted a tree and terrain. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact malfunctions of the airplane or engine. However, examination of the tungsten filaments from the light bulbs in the stall warning indicator lights revealed that they were stretched and distorted, indicating they were likely illuminated during impact. The flight instructor was described as knowing airplane energy management very well; however, on the day of the accident, he may have been surprised after he cleared the top of the trees surrounding the airport, where he went from a little, or no wind condition, to a condition where the airplane would have suddenly been subjected to a 30 degree crosswind and wind gusting from 10 to 16 knots. This would have affected the airplane's flight path and resulted in a loss of energy, possibly resulting in the loss of control and stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.