- Date
- May 18, 1991, 17:57 local (23:57 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N44623Beech D18-S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910518016319A
- Case key
- 18089
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 loss of directional control by the pilot. Factors were: the cross, failure of the pilot to lock the tail wheel, and the pilot's disregard of crosswind limitations.
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
During a part 135 operation, the pilot taxied into position, checked the tail wheel locking lever, and commenced the takeoff run in gusting winds. The gusts exceeded the cross wind limits for the aircraft. The tail wheel was not locked and directional control was lost. The airplane ground looped and departed the side of the runway into a ditch.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44623
- Reported as
- Beech D18-S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- A-31
- Engine
- P&W R-985-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- W. W. Airtaxi, Inc.
- Registered owner
- W. W. Airtaxi, Inc.
- Destination
- MCI · Kansas City, MO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 17, 10,001 × 100 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
- 62
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 835 in this make and model · 4,683 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.