20000605004999A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Beech 95 · Bullhead City, AZ · June 5, 2000

Date
June 5, 2000 · 08:00 local
Place
Bullhead City, AZ
Airport
Sun Valley Airport
Phase of flight
Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N133PW
Reported as
Beech 95
Reported engine
Lycoming O360A1A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
750 total39 in this make and model280 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.

(-23) Aircraft was departong sunvalley airport, when during the departure/takeoff roll, the nose whell collasped causing the aircraft to depart the runway and strike a bush. The aircraft came to rest at the bush, substanial damage was sustained to the aircraft. (.4) on June 5, 2000, about 0800 hours mountain standard time, a Beech 95, N133PW, sustained substantial damage when the landing gear retracted during takeoff from sun valley, Arizona. Sheble aviation, Bullhead City, Arizona, operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The certified flight instructor and his private pilot student were not injured. Visual meteroological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight. According to a pilot-rated witness, the airplane was on the takeoff ground roll when all three landing gear retracted prior to rotation, and the airplane settled back to the runway. The left wingtip struck the runway and the airplane cartwheeled, running into a rising dirt embankment, and coming to rest on the side of the runway. The witness went to the assistance of the airplane occupants and spoke to the flight instruct or. According to the witness, the instructor said that the student might have placed the landing gear selector switch in the up position instead of the flaps after the previous landing. In his written statement, the flight instructor reported that the nose gear collapsed during the takeoff ground roll. He had no further explanation of the event. A review of the Beech model 95 travel air owner's manual reveals an excerpt from the normal takeoff procedure and reads: "retract the landing gear as soon as you are firmly airborne with no danger of settling back to the runway."

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT WAS DEPARTONG SUNVALLEY AIRPORT, WHEN DURING THE DEPARTURE/TAKEOFF ROLL, THE NOSE WHELL COLLASPED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO DEPART THE RUNWAY AND STRIKE A BUSH. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST AT THE BUSH, SUBSTANIAL DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED TO THE AIRCRAFT. (.4) ON JUNE 5, 2000, ABOUT 0800 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A BEECH 95, N133PW, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED DURING TAKEOFF FROM SUN VALLEY, ARIZONA. SHEBLE AVIATION, BULLHEAD CITY, ARIZONA, OPERATED THE AIRPLANE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND HIS PRIVATE PILOT STUDENT WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEROOLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO A PILOT-RATED WITNESS, THE AIRPLANE WAS ON THE TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL WHEN ALL THREE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED PRIOR TO ROTATION, AND THE AIRPLANE SETTLED BACK TO THE RUNWAY. THE LEFT WINGTIP STRUCK THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRPLANE CARTWHEELED, RUNNING INTO A RISING DIRT EMBANKMENT, AND COMING TO REST ON THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE WITNESS WENT TO THE ASSISTANCE OF THE AIRPLANE OCCUPANTS AND SPOKE TO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCT OR. ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS, THE INSTRUCTOR SAID THAT THE STUDENT MIGHT HAVE PLACED THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH IN THE UP POSITION INSTEAD OF THE FLAPS AFTER THE PREVIOUS LANDING. IN HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED DURING THE TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL. HE HAD NO FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE EVENT. A REVIEW OF THE BEECH MODEL 95 TRAVEL AIR OWNER'S MANUAL REVEALS AN EXCERPT FROM THE NORMAL TAKEOFF PROCEDURE AND READS: "RETRACT THE LANDING GEAR AS SOON AS YOU ARE FIRMLY AIRBORNE WITH NO DANGER OF SETTLING BACK TO THE RUNWAY."