Beechcraft C23 N243RG

Summary

On 20 August 2013 at about 18:54 local time, a Beechcraft C23 registered N243RG was involved in an accident near Bingham, Maine, 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

20 August 2013 at 18:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Bingham, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Gadabout Gaddis (ME08)

Coordinates

45.0403, -69.8689

Aircraft

Beechcraft C23

Registration

N243RG

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bingham → Augusta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA370

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in his attempt to take off from a short, turf runway in high-density altitude conditions under which the airplane was unable to attain a positive climb rate to clear trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had arrived at the departure airport earlier in the day. Witnesses, including the passenger, stated that it took multiple attempts for the pilot to land on the turf runway upon arrival; however, the pilot reported that "it was a non-event going in." The airplane subsequently took off from the 2,000-ft-long, turf-covered runway that had trees near its departure end. The pilot reported that, during takeoff, the airspeed indicator did not appear to be working, so he "tapped it" with his fingers. He estimated that the airplane was traveling about 60 to 70 mph at that time. He pulled back on the control wheel, and, when the airplane reached about 20 ft above ground level, the stall warning activated. He then pushed forward on the control wheel to gain airspeed and turned the airplane slightly upriver. The right wing then contacted trees, and the airplane subsequently impacted the river nose first. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the temperature was about 80 degrees F, and the calculated density altitude was about 3,218 ft, which would have decreased the airplane's climb rate by about 30 percent. Further, according to the airplane flight manual, about 2,300 ft of turf runway would have been needed to clear a 50-ft obstacle. Therefore, due to the extended required ground roll and the degraded climb performance, the airplane was likely not able to attain a sufficient climb rate to clear the trees at the end of the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.