WPR17LA154

NTSB accident investigation · Beech D55 · Hailey, ID · July 14, 2017

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal report
Date
July 13, 2017, 20:15 local (Jul 14, 2017, 02:15 UTC)
Place
Hailey, ID · On Airport
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N1796ABeech D55
Defining event
Landing: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Night
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20170713009079A
Case key
95593

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 loss of directional control during landing.

Findings · 4

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.

Engine controls: power leverAircraft › Aircraft power plant · Incorrect use/operationBeech D55: 1 caseAll aircraft: 95 casesProbable cause
Action: incorrect action selectionPersonnel issues › Action/decision · PilotBeech D55: 1 caseAll aircraft: 397 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: directional controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedBeech D55: 1 caseAll aircraft: 3,958 casesProbable cause
Use of equip/info: use of equip/systemPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotBeech D55: 2 casesAll aircraft: 1,391 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 reported that the multi-engine airplane's engines were "not synched up" during the landing flare and the airplane began to drift to the right side of the runway. The airplane's airspeed began to decay, and the pilot applied left throttle and pitched the airplane's nose down to correct. The airplane subsequently yawed to the right, the right-wing tip impacted the ground, and the airplane landed sideways, collapsing the landing gear and resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems that would have precluded normal operation and that he should have initiated a go-around upon first noticing the unequal engine power.

Factual narrative

On July 13, 2017, about 2015 mountain standard time, a Beech D55 twin-engine airplane, N1796A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hailey, Idaho. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, just before he entered the landing flare, he realized that his engines were "not synced up" and the airplane began to drift to the right of the runway. The pilot then realized that the airplane was getting too slow, and he increased the power to the left engine and pitched the airplane's nose down. The airplane yawed to the right and the right wingtip impacted the ground. The airplane hit the ground sideways, and the landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage. The airplane slid off the runway and came to rest upright. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane.

Aircraft

Registration
N1796A
Reported as
Beech D55
Category
Airplane
Serial number
TE-753
Built
1969
Airframe hours
3,993
Engines
Continental Motors IO-520-C, 280 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental Motors IO-520-C, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · March 3, 2017 · 10 hours before
Departed
AOC · Arco, ID
Destination
Same as departure
Flight plan
VFR
Airport
SUN · Friedman Memorial, runway 31, 7,550 × 100 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display

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
24
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
March 15, 2017
Seat
Left
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
463.4 total · 9 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Night
Wind
210° at 7 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
81 °F, dew point 43 °F
Altimeter
30.14 inHg
Observed at
KSUN

FAA reports on this event · 1

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

Other investigations on N1796A · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.