ERA21LA316

NTSB accident investigation · Socata TBM-700 C2 · Mount Pleasant, SC · July 27, 2021

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal report
Date
July 27, 2021, 11:05 local (15:05 UTC)
Place
Mount Pleasant, SC · off end of runway 35
Injuries
6 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N48UMSocata TBM-700 C2
Defining event
Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Eastern Region Aviation
Parties
FAA/FSDO
FAA report
20210727013359A
Case key
103631

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 decision to continue an unstable approach, which resulted in a runway excursion.

Findings · 3

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Action: incorrect action selectionPersonnel issues › Action/decision · PilotSocata TBM-700 C2: 1 caseAll aircraft: 397 casesProbable cause
Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotSocata TBM-700 C2: 1 caseAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot stated his visual approach to landing was “uncomfortably fast.” The airplane crossed over the threshold about 30 to 40 knots above the approach speed recommended in the Pilot’s Information Manual (PIM). He applied brakes, but the runway was wet and slick. Unable to stop on the remaining runway, the pilot attempted to abort the landing by moving the throttle from beta to full, but the throttle “stuck.” The airplane subsequently overran the runway and came to rest about 325 ft past the end of the runway. The engine mounts and left wing sustained substantial damage. Examination of the airplane revealed all engine and flight controls were intact from the cockpit controls to their respective control surfaces and functioned normally. In addition, examination of the brakes revealed no anomalies. The throttle lever had no binding and operated smoothly through its full range of motion. The flaps were found in the takeoff position, not in the landing position as they should have been for landing. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. According to the PIM, when configured correctly and using the recommended approach speed of 80 knots, the landing distance on a wet runway would have been about 2,700 ft of the 3,700 ft available.

Factual narrative

On July 27, 2021, about 1105 eastern daylight time, a Socata TBM-700 C2, N48UM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Mount Pleasant Regional Airport-Faison Field (LRO) Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The private pilot and five passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, his visual approach was “uncomfortably fast.” The airplane crossed over the threshold of the 3,700-ft-long runway at 125 to 130 knots and touched down on “the first 1/3 to the middle 1/3 of the runway.” He applied brakes, but the runway was wet and slick. Unable to stop on the remaining runway, the pilot attempted to move the throttle from beta to full to abort the landing, but the throttle “stuck.” The airplane subsequently came to rest about 325 ft past the end of the runway. According to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident site and conducted an initial examination of the wreckage, the engine mounts and left wing sustained substantial damage. The flaps were found in the “TAKEOFF” position. All engine and flight controls were intact from the cockpit controls to their respective control surfaces and functioned normally. In addition, examination of the brakes revealed no anomalies. The throttle lever had no binding and operated smoothly through its full range of motion. A pilot’s abbreviated checklist, a quick reference performance guide, and a laminated checklist were located on the airplane, but no Pilot’s Information Manual (PIM) was on board the airplane. According to the PIM, with the flaps in the landing position, the landing distance on a wet runway would have been about 2,700 ft; the PIM recommended an approach speed of 80 knots and a touchdown speed of 65 knots. The pilot’s reported approach speed was about 30 to 40 knots over the PIM recommended approach speed. The pilot reported in the "Operator/Owner Safety Recommendation" section of the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report (NTSB form 6120.1/2) that "when it was apparent that the approach was not stabilized, I should have performed a go-around.”

Aircraft

Registration
N48UM
Reported as
Socata TBM-700 C2
Category
Airplane
Serial number
299
Built
2004
Airframe hours
3,685
Engine
Pratt-Whitney PT6A-64, 700 horsepower, turbo prop
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · August 31, 2020
Departed
BIV · Holland, MI
Destination
Same as departure
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
LRO · Mt Pleasant Rgnl-Faison Fld, runway 17/35, 3,700 × 75 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot

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
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
February 11, 2021
Seat
Left
Restraint
Lap only
Flight hours
1,609 total · 212 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Visibility
6 statute miles
Temperature
86 °F, dew point 82 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
LRO
METAR
METAR KLRO 271455Z AUTO VRB03G10KT 6SM BR FEW014 FEW018 SCT075 30/28 A3000 RMK AO2

Docket · 4

The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 14, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.6 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.