- Date
- January 16, 2020, 12:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- St. Charles, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6630DBeech 76
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20200116000079A
- Case key
- 100826
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot receiving instruction’s misunderstanding of the flight instructor’s instruction and the pilot's and the instructor’s insufficient use of rudder while adding power to the operating engine, which resulted in the airplane rolling left and the wing striking the ground. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Findings · 7
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot receiving instruction and flight instructor were performing a zero-thrust, single-engine, full-stop landing when a sink rate developed on final approach. Subsequently, the instructor told the pilot to "add a small amount of power to the right operating engine." The pilot misunderstood the instruction as "abort" and added full power to the right engine to abort the landing. The airplane rolled left, and the instructor added right rudder to arrest the roll. The left wing hit the ground; the airplane rotated left, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing; and the landing gear collapsed. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot and flight instructor had completed about two hours of multi-engine flight training and were performing a "zero thrust, single engine" full stop landing. A sink rate developed on final approach and the flight instructor told the pilot to "add a small amount of power to the right operating engine." The pilot misunderstood the instruction as "abort" and added full power to the right engine to abort the landing. The airplane rolled left and the flight instructor added right rudder to arrest the roll. The left wing hit the ground and the airplane rotated left on the ground, substantially damaging the airplane's left wing and collapsing the three landing gear. Neither pilot was injured. There were no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6630D
- Reported as
- Beech 76 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- ME-221
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 8,478
- Engines
- Amateur/Experimental Unknown, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingAmateur/Experimental Unknown, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- St Charles Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- St Charles Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 6, 2020 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- SET · St. Charles, MO
- Destination
- SET · St. Charles, MO
- Airport
- SET · St Charles County Smartt, runway 36, 3,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 9, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 461 total · 2 in this make and model · 406 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 2, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 15,788 total · 706 in this make and model · 97 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.75 inHg
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 26, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6630D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.