DEN01FA088

The pilot was departing on runway 14, with a tailwind, at a mountain airport (elevation 5,916 feet; density altitude 8,016 feet) with near the aft limit CG. Witnesses said that the airplane rotated quickly and excessively. They said that the landing gear doors opened almost immediately even though the airplane's speed appeared slow and its pitch remained excessively high. Several of the witnesses observed the airplane wobbling side to side. A flight instructor, who was watching the departure, said that airplane never got higher than 100 feet above the ground. He said that he saw the airplane pitch up even more (the longitudinal trim was found 10 degrees nose down), and then it stalled into the ground. The pilot had purchased the airplane on March 30, 2001, and reported, on an insurance application for the airplane, that he had approximately 200 hours of total flight experience over 10 years, with 15 hours in retractable gear aircraft. The pilot had accumulated an estimated 20 hours of flight experience in the airplane by the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact discrepancies.

History of flight

On April 17, 2001, at 1627 mountain daylight time, a Beech 35, N2PZ, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during takeoff from Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport, Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was fatally injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight which was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.

According to Fixed Base Operator (FBO) service personnel at Boise Air Terminal Airport (BOI; elevation 2,868 feet), Boise, Idaho, the pilot had approached them on two occasions requesting auto gas for his airplane; he was told that they do not sell it. On April 16, 2001, he approached them again requesting auto gas, and he was told that they only sold 100LL fuel. The pilot did request from FBO service personnel that the main tanks of his airplane be topped off with 100LL; they put 7.1 gallons in the airplane. Shortly after the FBO employee had serviced the airplane, he observed the pilot positioning five or six red, 5 gallon, square fuel containers next to the airplane's cargo door. The FBO employee left the area for another work assignment, and did not observe the pilot load his aircraft.

Witnesses at Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport (GWS; elevation 5,916 feet) said that the airplane arrived at their location on April 16, 2001. They said that the airplane landed long and fast, and one of the airplane's main tires failed during the braking sequence. They described the tire as being in very good condition, with a 4 inch flat spot with a hole in the center (the hole went through the inner tube as well).

On April 17, 2001, the pilot called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) to obtain a weather briefing for a visual flight rules (VFR) flight from Glenwood Springs (GWS), Colorado, to Boise (BOI), Idaho. AFSS personnel reported that, at 1527, the pilot received a standard weather briefing. Witnesses reported that during the approximate 45 minutes it took the pilot to prepare his airplane for flight (loading the airplane, and topping the three fuel tanks off with 47.5 gallons of 100LL fuel), at least four airplanes departed on runway 14. One witness observed that when the pilot taxied out for takeoff on runway 14, a down wind takeoff, his right rear cabin window was open (it could not be determined if this was closed before flight).

Witnesses said that during the takeoff sequence, the airplane appeared to rotate "quickly" and "excessively." One witness said the airplane appeared to have a nose high attitude on the takeoff roll, which continued beyond the river, and then its nose got higher. He said the airplane suddenly turned left and crashed with a big ball of flame. Several witnesses reported that the airplane began to wobble back and forth, as soon as it left the runway. They said the airplane descended a little when it flew over the Roaring Fork River, approximately 500 feet from the runway's departure end. Witnesses said that the airplane continued to wobble until it reached a house, when it appeared to start climbing. The airplane's left wing immediately dropped, and the airplane flew into the ground.

Another witness, who was in his car on the departure end of the runway, said that the airplane appeared to be flying very slow, and was wobbling side to side. He said that the landing gear doors began to open while the airplane was still over the runway, and the landing gear took a long time to retract. A flight instructor, who witnessed the departure, said that the airplane never got higher than 100 feet above the ground.

Personnel information

The pilot's wife said that he began flying in 1985 or 1986; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicated that he received his private pilot license on May 27, 1993. Small bits of paper retrieved from the postimpact fire indicate that the pilot's flight logbook was destroyed in the airplane. The pilot reported on an application for aircraft insurance, dated March 22, 2001, that he had 200 hours total flight experience, with 15 hours in retractable landing gear aircraft. The pilot wrote, on his FAA medical examination application dated September 2, 1999, that he had 300 hours of flight time. The pilot's wife said that during the previous 12 months, he had been receiving instrument flight training at Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas. None of the flight schools at Meacham Field had any documentation that the pilot had flown with them.

The previous owner of the airplane said that the pilot purchased it from him, in Florida, on March 30, 2001. A flight instructor from Lake Placid, Florida, said he flew four familiarization flights with the pilot, for 5 hours of flight time (mostly landing practice). The flight instructor said that he did not indorse the pilot's personal flight logbook for a flight review; it could not be documented that the pilot did have a current flight review. According to the flight instructor, the pilot departed for Boise, Idaho, on April 1, 2001. Fuel purchase records, that could be found, indicated that the pilot landed at Woodward (purchased 28.5 gallons), Oklahoma, and Durango (purchased 13.6 gallons), Colorado, for fuel; each time requesting that just the two main fuel tanks be topped off. The pilot's wife said that the pilot was delayed in Utah for a day or two, due to bad weather conditions. She said that he arrived in Boise, Idaho, on April 4; she said she flew once in the airplane, with the pilot, during the following week for approximately 1 hour.

It could not be determined if the pilot had ever received any mountain flight training (including high density altitude flight training). The FBO personnel in Boise Idaho, said that on one occasion, the pilot did request assistance in starting his airplane.

Aircraft information

The airplane was a single engine, propeller-driven, retractable landing gear, four seat airplane, which was manufactured by Beechcraft, in 1947. It was powered by a Continental F-185-8, six cylinder, reciprocating, horizontally opposed, direct drive, air cooled, normally aspirated engine, which had a maximum takeoff rating of 185 horsepower at 2,300 rpm for 1 minute, at sea level; and 165 continuous horsepower at 2,050 rpm. The last annual inspection was completed in Lake Placid, Florida, on March 25, 2001. The aircraft's engine tachometer indicated 148.9 hours at the time of the inspection. Total airframe time, at the time of the accident, was 3,573 hours

The airplane's Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) states that the airplane was certified for a maximum gross weight of 2,550 pounds. The airplane's last weight and balance measurements were made on February 25, 1998; the empty weight was 1,699.8 pounds and its useful load was 850.2 pounds. The airplane was equipped with two main 19.5 gallon fuel tanks (17 gallons usable x 2 = 34 gallons), and a long range 20 gallon auxiliary baggage fuel tank (19 gallons usable), which provided a total usable fuel capacity of 53 gallons. The airplane's POH states that when the auxiliary baggage tank is being used, baggage and fuel, in that compartment, shall not exceed 120 pounds total.

On the day of the accident, the pilot requested that all three fuel tanks be topped off. Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport FBO ramp personnel said they put 47.5 gallons of fuel in the airplane. This was the only refueling of the airplane where documentation could be found that the 20 gallon auxiliary baggage tank was used by the pilot.

The airplane manufacturer's representative said that the airplane's electrically operated retractable landing gear takes 18 to 22 seconds to cycle. He said that the landing gear retraction phase during takeoff, while the landing gear is in