Globe GC-1B N3715K

Summary

On 1 June 2013 at about 15:10 local time, a Globe GC-1B registered N3715K was involved in an accident near Williamson, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 June 2013 at 15:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Williamson, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Oakhill Airpark (SC82)

Coordinates

34.5850, -82.3417

Aircraft

Globe GC-1B

Registration

N3715K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Williamson → Woodruff

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA264

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s decision to takeoff with a quartering tailwind at high density altitude, close to gross takeoff weight, on a short turf runway with trees at the departure end.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed a preflight inspection and engine run up with no anomalies noted. He noted the wind favored runway 10. He then taxied to the 2,400-ft turf runway, which had 50-ft tall trees located 1,000 ft from the departure end, and began the takeoff. When the airplane reached climb speed, the pilot lifted the airplane off the runway. He then realized that the airplane was not going to be able to climb above the trees located near the end of the runway. Therefore, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary landing in a nearby field. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a tree and incurred substantial damage. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger, who were both airframe and powerplant mechanics, reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The wind reported at an airport 10 miles north of the accident location and at other surrounding airports was such that the airplane would have experienced a 5- to 8-knot right-quartering tailwind on runway 10 around the time of the accident. Density altitude was 2,307 feet above mean sea level. It is therefore likely, that the airplane experienced a reduction in performance during takeoff due to the tailwind, density altitude, and the weight (within about 120 lbs of the maximum gross weight) at which the airplane was being operated.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.