Beechcraft G36 N771WG

Summary

On 8 September 2013 at about 18:45 local time, a Beechcraft G36 registered N771WG, operated by William J Greco, was involved in an accident near Edgartown, Massachusetts, 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

8 September 2013 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Edgartown, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Katama Airpark (1B2)

Coordinates

41.3583, -70.5244

Aircraft

Beechcraft G36

Registration

N771WG

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

William J Greco

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Edgartown → Hartford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA415

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to achieve a proper takeoff profile prior to raising the landing gear resulting in a collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he utilized the checklist and set elevator trim to "almost neutral" with one notch of flaps for departure. During the takeoff roll, the pilot felt that the airplane wanted to lift off earlier than he was accustomed and he had to hold the nose down. When the pilot finally rotated the nose, the airplane "jumped up quicker than normal" and he kept the nose down. After the airplane began to increase airspeed and climb, the pilot raised the landing gear. The pilot then felt a gust of wind, and the airplane drifted to the left. The pilot corrected the airplane back to the runway heading, but it then began to descend. He pulled the power back and landed the airplane gear up on the grass airstrip, resulting in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported no preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported the wind as being from 20 degrees to the right of the runway at 14, gusting to 22 knots. According to a representative of the airplane manufacturer, landing gear retraction takes 3 to 6 seconds, and during the process, movement of the inboard landing gear doors creates additional parasitic drag. He also noted that in previous cases, pilots have taken off at lower airspeeds than normal then retracted the landing gear, which resulted in the airplane's settling back down to the surface instead of climbing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.