Beechcraft 65 N62069

Summary

On 22 February 2019 at about 15:45 local time, a Beechcraft 65 registered N62069, operated by Bemidji Aviation Services Inc, was involved in an accident near Colby, Kansas, United States. One person was 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

22 February 2019 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Colby, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Shalz Field Airport (CBK)

Coordinates

39.4272, -101.0528

Aircraft

Beechcraft 65

Registration

N62069

Category

Airplane

Year built

1962

Engines

2

Operator

Bemidji Aviation Services Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colby → Denver

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA086

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to properly secure the crew hatch door before takeoff, which resulted in his distraction and his failure to maintain airplane control and airspeed.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed that the crew hatch door, located next to the left front seat, had unexpectedly opened. The pilot attempted to close the door without success. He indicated that, while trying to close the door, he "wasn't able to fully control the airplane normally (mainly [in] heading and pitch)," so he initiated a precautionary landing back to the departure airport. While maneuvering at a low altitude to stay in visual flight rules conditions (overcast ceiling at 300 ft), the airplane's airspeed decreased, the wing tips were dipping back and forth, and the airplane exhibited signs of nearing its critical angle of attack. The pilot retracted the landing gear and applied full engine power to try to gain airspeed. The pilot was unable to gain airspeed, and the airplane was losing altitude. Before impact, the pilot kept the wings level and the nose in a slight pitch-up attitude. The airplane then impacted the snow-covered terrain with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and aileron. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact malfunctions with the crew hatch door; thus, it is likely the door had not been properly secured before takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.