CHI03LA186

NTSB accident investigation · Beech A35 · Douglass, KS · June 30, 2003

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 30, 2003, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
Place
Douglass, KS
Injuries
2 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Initial climb
Aircraft
N564BBeech A35
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 30, 2003
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA Wichita FSDO
FAA report
20030630013799A
Case key
57346

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's failure to attain adequate airspeed and his premature liftoff, which resulted in a stall. A factor to the accident was the tree.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - in flightTakeoff - initial climb
Airspeed - not attainedPilot in commandCause
Lift-off - prematurePilot in command
Stall - encounteredPilot in commandCause
Lowering of flaps - not verifiedPilot in command
On ground/water collision with objectTakeoff - roll/run
Object - tree(s)Factor

Analysis

The airplane was substantially damage when it impacted trees during an aborted takeoff. The pilot reported that while taxing he "flipped [the] switch with [the] intentions of putting flaps down." According to the pilot, while on takeoff roll the airplane lifted off and stalled. The pilot reported that he lowered the nose and when the airplane settled it was out of control. The airplane subsequently struck a tree and large rock. The pilot stated, "... After that accident I noticed that the flaps switch was in the up position. Thus, I rotated off the ground with insufficient airspeed for plane configuration to sustain flight."

Factual narrative

On June 30, 2003, about 1345 central daylight time, a Beech A35, N564B, operated by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it stalled and impacted terrain during takeoff from Pilot Pointe Estates Airport, near Douglass, Kansas. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injuries and his passenger reported minor injuries. The personnel flight was originating from Pilot Pointe Estates Airport at the time of the accident and was destined for Ephraim-Fish Creek Airport, near Ephraim, Wisconsin.

According to a statement by the pilot, while taxing to runway 36 he "flipped [the] flap switch with [the] intentions of putting flaps down." The pilot said that he attempted, during takeoff roll, to lift off the runway but the airplane stalled immediately. He stated that he "pushed the yoke forward in an attempt to recover from the stall." He said that the airplane settled back down to the runway and was still "out of control when the right wing clipped a tree at the end and side of the runway." The pilot reported, that after the impact the right wing was severed and the airplane made a 120-degree loop. According to the pilot, the airplane struck a large boulder damaging the tail of the airplane. The pilot stated, "... After the accident I noticed that the flaps switch was in the up position. Thus, I rotated off the ground with insufficient airspeed for plane configuration to sustain flight."

The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures.

Aircraft

Registration
N564B
Reported as
Beech A35
Category
Airplane
Serial number
D-1584
Airframe hours
2,527.15
Engine
Teledyne Continental E-185-8, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Dennis Roy Knackstedt
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · November 16, 2002 · 44.8 hours before
Departed
SN52 · Douglass, KS
Destination
3D2 · Ephriam, WI
Airport
SN52 · Pilot Point, runway 36, 2,700 × 75 ft, grass/turf

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

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
44
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3
Seat
Left
Flight hours
150 total · 61 in this make and model · 134 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
60° at 7 knots
Visibility
9 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
2,300 ft broken
Temperature
70 °F, dew point 68 °F
Altimeter
30.13 inHg
Observed at
KIAB, 16 nm away

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 N564B · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.