# NTSB CHI03LA186: Beech A35, N564B, Douglass, KS, June 30, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 30, 2003, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC) - Place: Douglass, KS - Coordinates: 37.481388, -97.011947 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4814&lon=-97.0119&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report December 30, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Wichita FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57346 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI03LA186 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57346/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA186 ## 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 In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - airspeed - not attained, pilot in command (cause) - lift-off - premature, pilot in command - stall - encountered, pilot in command (cause) - lowering of flaps - not verified, pilot in command - On ground/water collision with object, takeoff - roll/run - object - tree(s) (contributing 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](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N564B-2013-01-31), registration cancelled 2013-01-31, S/N D-1584, built 1948 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech A35 - Registry model: [Beech A35](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-a35) (registry code 1151504) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental E185 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-e185-series) (registry code 17014, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: D-1584 - Airframe hours: 2527.15 - Engines: 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 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: none; 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030630013799A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030630013799A), Jun 30, 2003: Beech A35, Douglass, KS, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot reported that he was attempting initial takeoff from a grass runway, rotated at approximately 65 miles per hour, had started climbing when the… ## Other investigations on N564B (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI67F0226](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI67F0226), Aug 28, 1966: Beech A35 (N564B), Midlothian, IL, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.