19980815028049I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 305B · West Palm Beach, FL · August 15, 1998

Date
August 15, 1998 · 11:30 local
Place
West Palm Beach, FL
Airport
Palm Beach County Park Airport
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N8WP
NTSB investigation
NTSBATL98LA113
Reported as
Cessna 305B
Reported engine
Continental O470L
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
700 total75 in this make and model75 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On 8-15-98, 11:45AM, N8WP, CE-305-B, bird dog was departing ruwnay 15 at plalm Beach county park(klna). The aircraft was about 300-400 feet in the air when the engine began to back fire and lose power. The pilot (mr ronald krolick) aborted takeoff and landed on the runway. The aircraft ran off the departure end into soft sand and tall grass. The aircraft nosed over and stopped upside down.(.19) on August 15, 1998, at 1115 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 305, N8WP, collided with the ground, according to the pilot, while attempting a takeoff from runway 15 at the Palm Beach county air park, in lantana, Florida. The personal flight operated under the provisions of title 14 CFR part 91 with no flight plan filed. A review of weather data disclosed that visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane at the acident site disclosed that the airframe sustained substantial airframe damage. The commercial rated pilot and his passenger received minor injuries. The accident occurred during the intital takeoff from lantana, Florida. According to the pilot, the engine lost power during the takeof roll. The pilot elected to abort the takeoff. To avoid coliding with a nearby lake, the pilot intentionally ground looped the airp lane off the departure end of the runway. (.4)on August 15, 1998, at 1130 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 305, N8WP, collided with the ground, according to the pilot, while attempting a takeoff from runway 15 at the Palm Beach county air park, in lantana, Florida. The personel flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of title 14 CFR part 91 with no flight plan filed. A review of weather data disclosed that visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane at the accident site disclosed that the airframe sustained substantial airframe damage. The commercial rated pilot and his passenger recieved minor injuries. The accident occurred during the initial takeoff from lantana, Florida. The pilot reported that he completed an extensive preflight inspection that included the draining of both fuel sumps. According to the pilot, there was no sediment or water found in the fuel samples. During the preflight in spection, the pilot visually confirmed that both fuel tanks had been topped off, as he had requested, by the fixed based operator. After the preflight inspection, the pilot taxied the airplane to the run-up area adjacent to runway 15. The pilot reported that the "pre-departure run-up" was normal. During the power application for the takeoff, the pilot recalled that engine operation was normal. As the airplane climbed through 400 feet, the pilot recalled that the engine hesitated and lost power. As the pilot attempted to correc the hesitation by adjusting the throttle, the engine backfired. Still above the runway, the pilot attempted a forced landing on the remaining runway. The airplane touched down on the runway, and rolled off the departure end of the hard surface into a grassy area. The pilot reported that the airplane nosed over as it stopped in the rough grassy area. According to the fixed based operator, the airplane was placed back on the main landing gear during the recovery process. During the subsequent exam ination of the airplane both fuel tanks were drained of remaining fuel. During this phase of the recovery and examination, several ounces of water were also recovered from the left fuel tank. Examination of the airframe and sub-systems failed to disclose a mechanical problem. The fuel selector position was not determined.

As the FAA filed it

ON 8-15-98, 11:45AM, N8WP, CE-305-B, BIRD DOG WAS DEPARTING RUWNAY 15 AT PLALM BEACH COUNTY PARK(KLNA). THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT 300-400 FEET IN THE AIR WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO BACK FIRE AND LOSE POWER. THE PILOT (MR RONALD KROLICK) ABORTED TAKEOFF AND LANDED ON THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE DEPARTURE END INTO SOFT SAND AND TALL GRASS. THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER AND STOPPED UPSIDE DOWN.(.19) ON AUGUST 15, 1998, AT 1115 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 305, N8WP, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND, ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, WHILE ATTEMPTING A TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 15 AT THE PALM BEACH COUNTY AIR PARK, IN LANTANA, FLORIDA. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. A REVIEW OF WEATHER DATA DISCLOSED THAT VISUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AT THE ACIDENT SITE DISCLOSED THAT THE AIRFRAME SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL AIRFRAME DAMAGE. THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE INTITAL TAKEOFF FROM LANTANA, FLORIDA. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER DURING THE TAKEOF ROLL. THE PILOT ELECTED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. TO AVOID COLIDING WITH A NEARBY LAKE, THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY GROUND LOOPED THE AIRP LANE OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. (.4)ON AUGUST 15, 1998, AT 1130 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 305, N8WP, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND, ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, WHILE ATTEMPTING A TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 15 AT THE PALM BEACH COUNTY AIR PARK, IN LANTANA, FLORIDA. THE PERSONEL FLIGHT WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. A REVIEW OF WEATHER DATA DISCLOSED THAT VISUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE DISCLOSED THAT THE AIRFRAME SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL AIRFRAME DAMAGE. THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER RECIEVED MINOR INJURIES. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE INITIAL TAKEOFF FROM LANTANA, FLORIDA. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE COMPLETED AN EXTENSIVE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION THAT INCLUDED THE DRAINING OF BOTH FUEL SUMPS. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THERE WAS NO SEDIMENT OR WATER FOUND IN THE FUEL SAMPLES. DURING THE PREFLIGHT IN SPECTION, THE PILOT VISUALLY CONFIRMED THAT BOTH FUEL TANKS HAD BEEN TOPPED OFF, AS HE HAD REQUESTED, BY THE FIXED BASED OPERATOR. AFTER THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION, THE PILOT TAXIED THE AIRPLANE TO THE RUN-UP AREA ADJACENT TO RUNWAY 15. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE "PRE-DEPARTURE RUN-UP" WAS NORMAL. DURING THE POWER APPLICATION FOR THE TAKEOFF, THE PILOT RECALLED THAT ENGINE OPERATION WAS NORMAL. AS THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED THROUGH 400 FEET, THE PILOT RECALLED THAT THE ENGINE HESITATED AND LOST POWER. AS THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO CORREC THE HESITATION BY ADJUSTING THE THROTTLE, THE ENGINE BACKFIRED. STILL ABOVE THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING ON THE REMAINING RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY, AND ROLLED OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE HARD SURFACE INTO A GRASSY AREA. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER AS IT STOPPED IN THE ROUGH GRASSY AREA. ACCORDING TO THE FIXED BASED OPERATOR, THE AIRPLANE WAS PLACED BACK ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR DURING THE RECOVERY PROCESS. DURING THE SUBSEQUENT EXAM INATION OF THE AIRPLANE BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE DRAINED OF REMAINING FUEL. DURING THIS PHASE OF THE RECOVERY AND EXAMINATION, SEVERAL OUNCES OF WATER WERE ALSO RECOVERED FROM THE LEFT FUEL TANK. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND SUB-SYSTEMS FAILED TO DISCLOSE A MECHANICAL PROBLEM. THE FUEL SELECTOR POSITION WAS NOT DETERMINED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.