- Date
- June 19, 1989, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- South Lake Taho, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1778WBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890619016149A
- Case key
- 17591
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 falure to maintain adequate airspeed after takeoff due to diverted attention toward an open acft door.
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 plt aborted the first takeoff attempt due to the door opening. On the second attempt the acft climbed to aprx 300 ft, turned 90 degs left then back to the rwy heading. The nose descended and the acft impacted a field in a vertical dive. Fire began apx 15 seconds following impact and the acft was consumed by fire. Examination of the wreckage revealed the cabin door to have separated from the acft at impact and the top latch, a 'j' hook, was fractured and missing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1778W
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-378
- Airframe hours
- 3,305
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA10B, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Delta W, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 8, 1989 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- TVL
- Destination
- PAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Airport
- TVL · Lake Tahoe, runway 18, 8,544 × 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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,790 total · 890 in this make and model · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVL, 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.