What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The aircraft with pilot, two passengers and baggage took off from runway 23 at Nemacolin Airport PA88 at 14:20 EST. An eye witness (private pilot) reported the aircraft?s take off was normal and the landing gear retracted after liftoff, it then entered a left hand turn approximately ¾ of the way down the runway 23 downwind leg. At that point the landing gear came back down. The witness stated the aircraft was low and he knew the aircraft was going to go into the trees.
The aircraft came down through the trees approximately 2300 feet left of center of runway 23 at an approximate heading of 225 degrees.
The first impact was the left wing through the tops of the trees. The outboard left wing and landing gear separated from the aircraft. The aircraft continued through the trees separating from the right wing, landing gear, and engine with propeller attached. The fuselage came to rest upside down with the nose pointing at an approximate 10 degree heading.
The left wing first impact of the tree tops was located approximately 150 feet north of the final fuselage resting place. The majority of the wreckage was surrounded by a large flash fire burn area which involved the area up into the trees. The cabin and empennage were fully engulfed by fire.
The engine with propeller attached came to rest approximately 40 feet west of the fuselage. Indications that the engine was running at a high power setting were the numerous diagonal chopping of the tree branches, tree trunks and substantial torsional twisting of propeller blades.
An investigation of the wreckage indicated that the fuselage, wings, tail, flight controls, landing gear and engine and propeller were all assembled when the aircraft entered the trees. The flight control continuity was generally verifiable through examination of separate aircraft parts.
It was reported by a first responder that the survivor stated ?during takeoff a cabin door came open?. Ground inspection of the aircraft?s flight path revealed no cabin doors or door pieces apart from the wreckage site area. An excavation and examination of the fuselage wreckage area where the doors would have been uncovered some pieces of the aircraft doors, attachment hardware and latching mechanism which were not consumed in the fire.
Evidence of ample fuel on board was a large flash fire burn area and intense fire damage to the aircraft. Examination of the fuel valve by a Beechcraft accident investigator showed the fuel selector was in the left main tank position.
The aircraft door mechanism and components that were found were examined by the NTSB and it was determined the forward cabin door was not fully engaged.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRCRAFT WITH PILOT, TWO PASSENGERS AND BAGGAGE TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 23 AT NEMACOLIN AIRPORT PA88 AT 14:20 EST. AN EYE WITNESS (PRIVATE PILOT) REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT?S TAKE OFF WAS NORMAL AND THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED AFTER LIFTOFF, IT THEN ENTERED A LEFT HAND TURN APPROXIMATELY ¾ OF THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY 23 DOWNWIND LEG. AT THAT POINT THE LANDING GEAR CAME BACK DOWN. THE WITNESS STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOW AND HE KNEW THE AIRCRAFT WAS GOING TO GO INTO THE TREES.
THE AIRCRAFT CAME DOWN THROUGH THE TREES APPROXIMATELY 2300 FEET LEFT OF CENTER OF RUNWAY 23 AT AN APPROXIMATE HEADING OF 225 DEGREES.
THE FIRST IMPACT WAS THE LEFT WING THROUGH THE TOPS OF THE TREES. THE OUTBOARD LEFT WING AND LANDING GEAR SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THROUGH THE TREES SEPARATING FROM THE RIGHT WING, LANDING GEAR, AND ENGINE WITH PROPELLER ATTACHED. THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN WITH THE NOSE POINTING AT AN APPROXIMATE 10 DEGREE HEADING.
THE LEFT WING FIRST IMPACT OF THE TREE TOPS WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET NORTH OF THE FINAL FUSELAGE RESTING PLACE. THE MAJORITY OF THE WRECKAGE WAS SURROUNDED BY A LARGE FLASH FIRE BURN AREA WHICH INVOLVED THE AREA UP INTO THE TREES. THE CABIN AND EMPENNAGE WERE FULLY ENGULFED BY FIRE.
THE ENGINE WITH PROPELLER ATTACHED CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET WEST OF THE FUSELAGE. INDICATIONS THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT A HIGH POWER SETTING WERE THE NUMEROUS DIAGONAL CHOPPING OF THE TREE BRANCHES, TREE TRUNKS AND SUBSTANTIAL TORSIONAL TWISTING OF PROPELLER BLADES.
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THAT THE FUSELAGE, WINGS, TAIL, FLIGHT CONTROLS, LANDING GEAR AND ENGINE AND PROPELLER WERE ALL ASSEMBLED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE TREES. THE FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS GENERALLY VERIFIABLE THROUGH EXAMINATION OF SEPARATE AIRCRAFT PARTS.
IT WAS REPORTED BY A FIRST RESPONDER THAT THE SURVIVOR STATED ?DURING TAKEOFF A CABIN DOOR CAME OPEN?. GROUND INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT?S FLIGHT PATH REVEALED NO CABIN DOORS OR DOOR PIECES APART FROM THE WRECKAGE SITE AREA. AN EXCAVATION AND EXAMINATION OF THE FUSELAGE WRECKAGE AREA WHERE THE DOORS WOULD HAVE BEEN UNCOVERED SOME PIECES OF THE AIRCRAFT DOORS, ATTACHMENT HARDWARE AND LATCHING MECHANISM WHICH WERE NOT CONSUMED IN THE FIRE.
EVIDENCE OF AMPLE FUEL ON BOARD WAS A LARGE FLASH FIRE BURN AREA AND INTENSE FIRE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL VALVE BY A BEECHCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR SHOWED THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE LEFT MAIN TANK POSITION.
THE AIRCRAFT DOOR MECHANISM AND COMPONENTS THAT WERE FOUND WERE EXAMINED BY THE NTSB AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE FORWARD CABIN DOOR WAS NOT FULLY ENGAGED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.