Beechcraft 35-A33 N334Z

Summary

On 6 June 2012 at about 18:00 local time, a Beechcraft 35-A33 registered N334Z, operated by KCN Aero Club Inc, was involved in an accident near Gardner, Kansas, 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

6 June 2012 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gardner, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Gardner Municipal Airport (GDM)

Coordinates

38.6447, -94.9608

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-A33

Registration

N334Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

KCN Aero Club Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gardner → Gardner

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA373

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff when the airplane was not accelerating as expected. Contributing to the accident was a wind shift during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After an uneventful local flight, the pilot landed and refueled the airplane. The pilot planned to demonstrate a soft field takeoff, departing to the south on the 3,237-foot-long grass runway. The pilot stated that when the airplane lifted off, he leveled it to accelerate in ground effect; however, the airplane did not accelerate as he expected. As the airplane continued along the runway, the pilot realized that the airplane was not going to make it over a fence near the departure end of the runway. The airplane collided with the fence and came to rest in a pasture, resulting in substantial damage to wings. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure that could explain the pilot's report of diminished performance during takeoff. Additionally, the pilot reported that the airplane was operating normally during the earlier flight and during preflight engine run-up just before takeoff. The pilot reported that the wind was variable out of the east at 8-10 knots. An automated weather observation recorded 3 miles from the accident site, reported the wind from 120 degrees at 6 knots at the time of the accident. The airport manager reported that the wind had been out of the south just before the accident, but after he was notified of the accident he checked the windsock again and it showed wind from the north-northeast. Based on the available wind information and the pilot's report of diminished performance during takeoff, it is likely that the airplane encountered a wind shift to a tailwind during the takeoff roll. The pilot stated that he should have aborted the takeoff earlier.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.