What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
During short field takeoff roll at about 70-72 knots, just before the rotation speed of 76 knots there was an aural warning and a yellow ecu caution indication for the left engine. The multiengine student manipulating the controls pointed to the yellow caution indication of ecu with her right hand index finger and looked that the CFI. The student said that this look exchange indicated an understanding that the takeoff should continue. Initial interviews with CFI, student and maintenance personnel confirmed that the ecu indication was cautionary and not a reason to abort based upon past practices or existing policies and procedures.
A moment later there was a minor or slight yaw to the left, the cause of which has not been determined. Ecu download showed left engine boost was at upper limit, which if it had caused a yaw it would have been slight and to the right. Both student and instructor said that they did not look at the engine instruments when they noticed the yaw. The CFI said that this yaw caused him to immediately commandeer the control of the aircraft and abort the takeoff. The student reported that instructor also retracted the flaps at this point. The student did not recall hearing the command I got controls. The student remembers saying abort, abort, abort, right after the instructor took the controls. This is taught to be the responsibility of the pilot flying the airplane, which at this point would have been the instructor.
A few seconds after the instructor commandeered the controls there was an abrupt yaw to the left and the aircraft departed the runway. The skid mark on the runway left by the left tire was straight until the tire blew. The damage to the aircraft consisted of a blown left tire and a broken gear door linkage. The damage to the tire was consistent with the brake stopping rotation of the tire. Neither pilot remembers applying the brakes.
The tower reported that approximately 1000' down the runway the aircraft's left tire appeared to lock up for several hundred feet before the aircraft veered to the left and off the runway.
Discussing the event with the student and the instructor, neither of which remembers applying the left brak, it was agreed that the most likely scenario was that the abrupt transfer of control resulted in the right rudder input by the instructor which corrected the left yaw, raised the students left rudder peddle into the students foot, which applied the left brake.
As the FAA filed it
DURING SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF ROLL AT ABOUT 70-72 KNOTS, JUST BEFORE THE ROTATION SPEED OF 76 KNOTS THERE WAS AN AURAL WARNING AND A YELLOW ECU CAUTION INDICATION FOR THE LEFT ENGINE. THE MULTIENGINE STUDENT MANIPULATING THE CONTROLS POINTED TO THE YELLOW CAUTION INDICATION OF ECU WITH HER RIGHT HAND INDEX FINGER AND LOOKED THAT THE CFI. THE STUDENT SAID THAT THIS LOOK EXCHANGE INDICATED AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE TAKEOFF SHOULD CONTINUE. INITIAL INTERVIEWS WITH CFI, STUDENT AND MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL CONFIRMED THAT THE ECU INDICATION WAS CAUTIONARY AND NOT A REASON TO ABORT BASED UPON PAST PRACTICES OR EXISTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
A MOMENT LATER THERE WAS A MINOR OR SLIGHT YAW TO THE LEFT, THE CAUSE OF WHICH HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. ECU DOWNLOAD SHOWED LEFT ENGINE BOOST WAS AT UPPER LIMIT, WHICH IF IT HAD CAUSED A YAW IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SLIGHT AND TO THE RIGHT. BOTH STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR SAID THAT THEY DID NOT LOOK AT THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS WHEN THEY NOTICED THE YAW. THE CFI SAID THAT THIS YAW CAUSED HIM TO IMMEDIATELY COMMANDEER THE CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ABORT THE TAKEOFF. THE STUDENT REPORTED THAT INSTRUCTOR ALSO RETRACTED THE FLAPS AT THIS POINT. THE STUDENT DID NOT RECALL HEARING THE COMMAND I GOT CONTROLS. THE STUDENT REMEMBERS SAYING ABORT, ABORT, ABORT, RIGHT AFTER THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK THE CONTROLS. THIS IS TAUGHT TO BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PILOT FLYING THE AIRPLANE, WHICH AT THIS POINT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE INSTRUCTOR.
A FEW SECONDS AFTER THE INSTRUCTOR COMMANDEERED THE CONTROLS THERE WAS AN ABRUPT YAW TO THE LEFT AND THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. THE SKID MARK ON THE RUNWAY LEFT BY THE LEFT TIRE WAS STRAIGHT UNTIL THE TIRE BLEW. THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT CONSISTED OF A BLOWN LEFT TIRE AND A BROKEN GEAR DOOR LINKAGE. THE DAMAGE TO THE TIRE WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE BRAKE STOPPING ROTATION OF THE TIRE. NEITHER PILOT REMEMBERS APPLYING THE BRAKES.
THE TOWER REPORTED THAT APPROXIMATELY 1000' DOWN THE RUNWAY THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT TIRE APPEARED TO LOCK UP FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE LEFT AND OFF THE RUNWAY.
DISCUSSING THE EVENT WITH THE STUDENT AND THE INSTRUCTOR, NEITHER OF WHICH REMEMBERS APPLYING THE LEFT BRAK, IT WAS AGREED THAT THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO WAS THAT THE ABRUPT TRANSFER OF CONTROL RESULTED IN THE RIGHT RUDDER INPUT BY THE INSTRUCTOR WHICH CORRECTED THE LEFT YAW, RAISED THE STUDENTS LEFT RUDDER PEDDLE INTO THE STUDENTS FOOT, WHICH APPLIED THE LEFT BRAKE.
Other reports on N591ER · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.