- Date
- October 20, 1991, 15:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Denison, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8560HNorth American Navion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911020047059A
- Case key
- 18401
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 exceeding of the airplane's takeoff performance capability by the pilot's inadequate preflight preparation..
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
According to the pilot and witnesses, the airplane failed to establish an adequate climb following initial liftoff. It cleared 20 foot trees at the end of the runway, but did not clear a 30 foot power pole cross bar and wires. The takeoff was attempted in calm winds from a 1,500 foot sod strip that had an uphill slope. Performance data indicated that for the conditions that existed at the time, the airplane required an 875 foot ground run and 1,775 feet to clear a 50 foot obstacle. The airplane struck the power pole 1800 feet from the departure end of the runway. The performance data did not take into account the sod runway or the upslope. The pilot said in his report that given the opportunity to do it again, he would not have attempted the takeoff under the same conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8560H
- Reported as
- North American Navion
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NAV-4-612
- Airframe hours
- 4,210
- Engine
- Continental E-185-11, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dean S. Emerson
- Registered owner
- Dean S. Emerson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 11, 1991 · 1 hours before
- Airport
- TX12 · Kidd, runway 35, 1,550 × 60 ft, grass/turf
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 185 in this make and model · 1,040 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.