MIA02LA130

NTSB accident investigation · Beech B50 · Clanton, AL · July 7, 2002

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 6, 2002, 22:50 local (Jul 7, 2002, 03:50 UTC)
Place
Clanton, AL
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N550GBeech B50
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Night
Status
Completed · report December 6, 2002
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20020706017279A
Case key
55212

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted landing that resulted in a ground swerve and the airplane exiting the runway and collided with a fence, incurring damage.

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.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - aborted
Aircraft control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Ground loop/swerve - inadvertentPilot in command
On ground/water collision with objectLanding - aborted
Object - fence

Analysis

The pilot stated that he did not like his alignment with the landing runway, so he attempted a go-around fairly close to the ground. He said that he pushed the throttles forward to obtain full power and the airplane immediately yawed to the left and the nose and right wing pitched up. He said that the left engine did not produce power and that he applied full right rudder control input, "pulled" the power, and pushed the nose over to counteract the yaw, but the airplane touched down on the runway, having yawed to the left, and departed the runway to the left into the grass and impacted a fence, incurring damage. The passenger stated that the pilot was performing a touch-and-go landing, and that the landing flare/touchdown was uneventful. He said that during the takeoff roll the aircraft began to veer to the left, and the pilot appeared to be applying corrective rudder input trying to maintain control, but was unsuccessful.

Factual narrative

On July 6, 2002, about 2250, central daylight time, a Beech B50, N550G, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, crashed while landing at Gragg-Wade Field, Clanton, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The private-rated pilot and one pilot-rated passenger received no injuries, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated in Pell City, Alabama, the same day, about 2130.

The pilot stated that as they approached to land, the approach was good until the very last "part", and he did not like his alignment with the landing runway, so he attempted a go-around fairly close to the ground. He said that as he pushed the throttles forward to obtain full power, the airplane immediately yawed to the left and the nose and right wing pitched up. He said that the left engine did not produce power and that he applied full right rudder control input, "pulled" the power, and pushed the nose over to counteract the yaw, but the airplane touched down on the runway, having yawed to the left, and departed the runway to the left into the grass and impacted a fence incurring damage.

The passenger stated that the pilot was performing a touch-and-go landing, and that the landing flare/touchdown was uneventful. He said that during the takeoff roll the aircraft began to veer to the left, and the pilot appeared to be applying corrective rudder input trying to maintain control, but was unsuccessful. He said the pilot even asked him if he had his feet on the rudder, and he replied no, stating that he had his feet flat on the floor.

The aircraft exited the runway to the left into the grass, and collided with steel beams which sheared off the landing gear, and damaged a wing as well as the horizontal stabilizer.

Aircraft

Registration
N550G
Reported as
Beech B50
Category
Airplane
Serial number
CH19
Engine
Lycoming GO-435C2, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Stephen W. Rennings
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
PLR · Pell City, AL
Destination
02A · Clanton, AL
Airport
02A · Gragg-Wade Field, runway 26, 4,000 × 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
39
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Last flight review
September 22, 2000
Seat
Left
Flight hours
725 total · 160 in this make and model · 578 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Night
Wind
0° at 0 knots
Visibility
7 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
79 °F, dew point 73 °F
Altimeter
30.02 inHg
Observed at
MGM, 170 nm away

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 22, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 360 KB 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.