- Date
- February 20, 2006, 18:45 local (Feb 21, 2006, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Casper, WY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N235BASwearingen SA226TC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060221001699I
- Case key
- 63259
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
loss of directional control for undetermined reasons. A factor contributing to the incident was the runway maker light.
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.
Analysis
The pilot set engine power to 60 percent rpm for takeoff, released the brakes, and the airplane steered straight ahead. At approximately 800 feet down the runway, the airplane veered to the right. The pilot said he applied full left steering (tiller) and full left rudder, but the airplane continued to veer right. The pilot said he then used full reverse propeller to arrest the forward motion. The airplane went off the right edge of the runway and stopped approximately 1,300 feet from the start of the takeoff roll. A preliminary examination of the airplane showed the nose wheel was turned beyond the right turn limit mark. The left propeller sustained damage to all 4 blade tips. The weather at the time of the incident was clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 18 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 7 degrees F, and altimeter 29.87 inches. Further examination of the nose wheel steering system failed to show why the airplane initiated the uncontrolled turn. All other systems showed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
On February 20, 2006, approximately 1845 mountain standard time, a Swearingen SA226TC, N235BA, piloted by a commercial pilot and operating as Spendair Flight 1713, sustained minor damage when the airplane's left propeller struck a runway marker light, following a loss of directional control during takeoff from the Natrona County International Airport (CPR), Casper, Wyoming. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the incident. The non-scheduled, domestic passenger flight was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan from CPR to Denver, Colorado, under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121. The pilot and two passengers on board were not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the incident.
According to the pilot, he had set engine power to 60 percent rpm for takeoff, released the brakes, and the airplane steered straight ahead. At approximately 800 feet down runway 21 (10,600 feet by 150 feet, dry asphalt), the airplane veered to the right. The pilot said he applied full left steering (tiller) and full left rudder, but the airplane continued to veer right. The pilot said he then used full reverse propeller to arrest the forward motion. The airplane went off the right edge of runway 21 and stopped approximately 1,300 feet from the start of the takeoff roll.
A preliminary examination of the airplane showed the nose wheel was turned beyond the right turn limit mark. The left propeller sustained damage to all 4 blade tips.
At 1853, the Aviation routine Weather Report at CPR was clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 18 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 7 degrees F, and altimeter 29.87 inches.
Further examination of the nose wheel steering system failed to show why the airplane initiated the uncontrolled turn. All other systems showed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N235BA
- Reported as
- Swearingen SA226TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC235
- Airframe hours
- 29,261.5
- Engines
- Garrett TPE331, 1,000 horsepower, turbo propGarrett TPE331, 1,000 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Superior Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · February 1, 2006
- Departed
- CPR · Casper, WY
- Destination
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CPR · Natrona County International, runway 21, 10,600 × 150 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,800 total · 3,700 in this make and model · 5,770 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 230° at 19 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 18 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- CPR, 1 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 N235BA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.