# Accident 19971002038119A: Beech E18S, St Paul, MN, October 2, 1997 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 2, 1997, 06:05 local time - Place: St Paul, MN - Airport: Lake Elmo Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: To Aborted (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 44.9893° N, 92.8998° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.9893&lon=-92.8998&mi=10 - Aircraft: N916TM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N916TM-2005-10-06) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Beech E18S (registry code 1151006, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-e18s) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 series (registry code 52008, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r-985-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH E18S - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 4,500 total, 356 in this make and model, 75 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA003) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971002038119A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. DAMAGED DUE WAKE TURBULENCE ON TAKE OFF FOR REPOSITIONING FLIGHT. (-23) AFTER LIFT OFF, PILOT GLEASON STATED THE AIRCRAFT FELT TO BE WALLOWING AND DID NOT RESPOND TO CONTROL INPUTS AND POWER APPLICATIONS. DUE TO MINIMAL WIND CONDITIONS AND ANOTHER AIRCRAFT HAVING DEPARTED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE BEFORE THERE IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY OF WAKE TURBULENCE BEING A FACTOR. THIS WAS A REPOSITIONING FLIGHT. (.19) ON OCTOBER 2, 1997, AT 0605 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH E18S, N916TM, OPERATED BY MAY AIR EXPRESS, COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING AN ABORTED TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 31 (2,850' X 75') AT THE LAKE ELMO AIRPORT, LAKE ELMO, MINNESOTA, WHILE ON A 14 CFR PART 91 POSITIONING FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. NEITHER OF THE PILOTS ON BOARD WERE INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING FLOWN TO MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, TO PICK UP A CARGO LOAD WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. (.4) THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF AT 70 KNOTS. HE REPORTED HE ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO ACCELERATE IN GROUND EFFECT FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AFTER WHICH TIME THE AIRPLANE BECAME "...UNSTABLE IN THE ROLL AXIS." HE REPORTED HE ADDED POWER AS THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH RUNWAY LEFT TO LAND ON. THE AIRPLANE WAS 3/4 THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY WHEN THE LEFT WING TIP TOUCHED THE RUNWAY. HE REPORTED THAT AT THIS POINT HE ADDED MORE POWER AT WHICH POINT THE LEFT WING TIP CONTACTED THE TERRAIN OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY CAUSING THE NOSE TO PITCH UP. HE THEN REDUCED THE POWER TO IDLE AND THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN THE GRASS COLLAPSING THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE NORMALLY LIFTS OFF BETWEEN 70 AND 75 KNOTS WHEN IT IS LIGHT. IN ADDITION, HE STATED THAT THE ENGINES SOUNDED NORMAL DURING THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE. AN INSPECTOR FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, FAA FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE REPORTED THAT ANOTHER BEECH 18 HAD TAKEN OFF ON THE SAME RUNWAY, BUT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF N916TM LESS THAN ONE MINUTE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI98LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA003), Oct 2, 1997: Beech E18S (N916TM), Lake Elmo, MN, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure identify the unsafe condition (vortex turbulence) which existed due to departing airplane and his subsequent inability to control the airplane once encountering the turbulence. ## Other reports on N916TM (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19951108043449I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19951108043449I), Nov 8, 1995: Beech E18S (N916TM), Saginaw, MI, Minor damage. Narrative: during rollout after touchdown on runway 32 aircraft drifted to left, left throttle was advanced to compensate, but aircraft continued to drift left… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.