- Date
- January 28, 1993, 21:35 local (Jan 29, 1993, 02:35 UTC)
- Place
- West Dover, VT
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N40586Piper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930128001109A
- Case key
- 37291
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 failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, and his inadequate remedial actions, resulting in a collision with a snowbank. Factors related to the accident were the ice covered runway and the snowbank along the runway edges.
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
The pilot started the takeoff roll on the icy runway. He said, 'at approximately 70 knots (at rotation) the aircraft started to drift left and both steering and rudder were ineffective in stopping the drift. The left propeller struck the ice bank.' The airplane yawed to the left and departed the runway, collapsing the landing gear. The wind was approximately 45 degrees from the right at an estimated 4 knots. The edges of the runway had snow banks approximately 2 feet high. An examination by the FAA of the airplane rudder and braking systems found no discrepancies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40586
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7405330
- Airframe hours
- 1,857
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aviation Block & Charter, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Aviation Block & Charter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 14, 1992 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- 4V8
- Destination
- FRG · Farmingdale, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 4V8 · Mount Snow, runway 19, 2,650 × 70 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
- 52
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 225° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft
- Temperature
- 25 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.