FTW02LA154

The twin-tubofan airplane overran the runway during an aborted takeoff, impacting two fences before coming to rest. The pilot reported experiencing no anomalies with the airplane during the preflight inspection and taxi portion of the flight. During takeoff roll, at V1 (103 knots), the pilot began to pull aft on the control yoke. The pilot noticed the nose landing gear was not coming off of the runway and at 120 knots, with full aft control input, elected to abort the takeoff. He pulled the power to idle and applied maximum braking. Upon seeing the localizer antennas approaching the airplane at the departure end of the runway, the pilot veered the airplane to the right of centerline. The airplane departed the runway surface and impacted the fences. Post-accident examination of the runway revealed tire skid marks on the runway that led to the airplane's final resting place. The tire skid marks measured 1,765 feet in length. Examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-existing brake system anomalies that would have hindered the airplane's braking capability. Examination of the elevator trim system revealed it was 12 degrees out of trim in the nose down direction. The airplane underwent a Phase B and Phase 1 through 5 inspections approximately 5 months prior to the accident. The manufacturer's inspection manual indicates the elevator system should be examined every Phase 5 inspection. The aircraft's flight manual informs the pilot that the right elevator and trim tab should be inspected during the exterior inspection to ensure the elevator trim tab position matches its indicator.

History of flight

On May 20, 2002, at 0801 central daylight time, a Cessna 550 Citation twin-turbofan airplane, N13VP, was substantially damaged when it impacted a perimeter fence and road during a runway overrun following an aborted takeoff at the Wiley Post Airport, Bethany, Oklahoma. The airplane was registered to Airlease Inc., of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was operated by Avalon Correctional Services, Inc., of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The airline transport pilot, who was type-rated in the Cessna 550, and four passengers were not injured. One passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 business flight. The cross-country flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for the Greeley-Weld County Airport, Greeley, Colorado.

According to the pilot's written statement and interviews conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot did not observe any anomalies with the airplane during the preflight examination, or while taxiing for takeoff. He checked the flight controls and found them to be "free and correct." The flight was cleared to takeoff from runway 17L (7,198 feet by 150 feet). He initiated the takeoff roll from the approach end of the runway, and upon reaching V1 (103 knots) he began to pull back on the control column. The pilot noticed the nose landing gear did not lift off of the runway surface with full aft control input, and elected to abort the takeoff. The last time the pilot referenced the airspeed indicator the needle was indicating 120 knots. The pilot applied maximum braking, and upon seeing the localizer antenna draw closer, he steered to the right to miss the array of antennas. The airplane departed the runway surface, impacted and proceeded through the southern airport perimeter fence, crossed a road, proceeded through another fence located on the opposite side of the road, and eventually came to rest upright in a muddy field.

Personnel information

The pilot was employed by the operator and reported he was the only pilot who flew the airplane for the company. He held an airline transport pilot certificate with type-ratings in Cessna CE-500, Douglas DC-3, HS-125, and Learjet airplanes. He also held flight instructor certificates for single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument airplanes. He was issued a first-class medical certificate on October 5, 2001, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. According to the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, he accumulated approximately 13,000 hours total flight time, of which approximately 150 hours were accumulated in the accident airplane make and model. The pilot last attended Cessna Citation flight training at SimuFlight International in December 2001.

Aircraft information

The airplane was manufactured in 1978 and was originally certified as a Cessna 551 (serial number 551-0009), but was later converted to a Cessna 550 (serial number 550-0263). In August 1996, the airplane was involved in a landing accident in Coberg, Germany, while it was being operated by the previous owner. The airplane sustained substantial structural damage, which was repaired by Cessna Aircraft Company at the Citation Service Center in Wichita, Kansas, in 1999.

The airplane was sold to AirLease Inc., in December 2001. The aircraft was in compliance with FAA Exemption No. 40501 (Operation of model 550 under Part 91 as a one pilot crew). In early 2002, the airplane was at the Citation Service Center to get some aircraft discrepancies corrected and inspections accomplished. The airplane's last Phase B inspection and Phase 1 through 5 inspections began on January 3, 2002, at a total airplane time of 2,861 hours. As of May 19, 2002, the airplane had accumulated a total of 2,956.9 hours.

According to Cessna, their inspection manuals indicate that the elevator system should be inspected during the Phase 5 inspection, every 1,200 hours, or 36 calendar months, whichever occurs first.

According to the pilot, he last flew the airplane on May 16, 2002, and did not notice any anomalies with the elevator trim system or braking.

The pilot calculated the weight and balance for the accident flight to be 12,740 pounds with a center of gravity (CG) of 278.7 inches aft of datum. The airplane's CG range was between 276.1 and 285.8 inches aft of datum. Post-accident weight and balance calculations of revealed the pilot's calculations were accurate.

Cessna Aircraft Company engineers calculated an accelerate/stop distance for the accident airplane utilizing a stop initiation speed of 120 knots. According to their calculations, with zero degrees of flaps utilized, the accelerate/stop distance would have equated to approximately 5,000 feet.

Meteorological information

The recorded weather report at 0807, for the Wiley Post Airport indicated the wind was from 060 degrees at 5 knots, the visibility was 10 statute miles, and a few clouds were present at 12,000 feet.

Flight recorders

A Fairchild A-200S cockpit voice recorder (CVR), serial number 06141, was installed on the accident airplane. The CVR was shipped to the NTSB's audio laboratory in Washington, DC for readout. The exterior of the CVR unit showed no evidence of structural damage. The interior of the recorder contained tape that was in good condition. The tape's recording consisted of four channels of good quality audio information.

Unfortunately, the single pilot operation contributed only two words during the takeoff roll, which did not contribute to determining the probable cause. Therefore, no transcript was prepared. The only sound signatures, aside from the pilot's words, consisted of the engine spool-up (at 28 minutes, 54.7 seconds from the start of the recording), engine spool-down (at 29 minutes, 35.0 seconds), first impact (at 29 minutes, 47.9 seconds), and second impact (29 seconds, 49.0 seconds). The end of the recording occurred 29 minutes, 56.7 seconds after the start of the recording.

Wreckage and impact information

The airplane came to rest facing approximately the opposite direction from takeoff. Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed the fuselage sustained deformation and wrinkling damage to the belly skins from fuselage station (FS) 29.0 to280.0. The forward pressure bulkhead sustained structural damage. The nose landing gear and right main landing gear separated from the airplane during the accident sequence.

The right main landing gear penetrated the bottom and upper wing skins during its collapse and separation at wing station (WS) 47.0. The right flap and railing edge wing skins also sustained scraping and bending damage.

Leading edge wing damage was noted to both wings, and substructure damage was noted.

An FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, measured tire skid marks that were visible on the runway. The skid marks measured 1,765 feet until they departed the runway surface. The FAA inspector then measured the visible tire tracks that extended beyond the runway surface. The total length of tire skid marks and tire tracks measured 2,373 feet until the point where the right main landing gear separated.

Photographs of the airplane taken after the accident revealed the cockpit elevator trim wheel was positioned in the takeoff range. Photographs of the elevator trim tab revealed it was deflected up (nose down).

The airplane was recovered to the operator's maintenance facility located on the airport where it was examined on May 22, 2002, by the NTSB IIC, an FAA inspector, and investigators from Cessna Aircraft Company. During that examination, the NTSB IIC removed the following equipment for further testing (manufacturer names follow the various components):

Cockpit Voice Recorder (Fairchild - CVR)

Anti-skid Control Unit (Crane Aerospace/Hydro-Aire Inc.)

2 Wheel