- Date
- July 5, 2020, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sedona, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8868MBeech 23
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200705005189A
- Case key
- 101531
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 inability to maintain a climb after an attempted takeoff in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in a forced landing on a road and subsequent landing gear collapse.
Findings · 3
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.
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 was departing from an airport where the density altitude was 7,700 feet. While departing with a slight left quartering, the airplane lifted off from the runway near the mid field point and began slowly climbing. Crossing the end of the runway, the airplane yawed and then began to lose altitude. After the airplane exited the airport boundary, which was on a plateau, it continued to lose altitude and descended down the sloped terrain. Unable to gain airspeed or maintain altitude, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a road. During the landing, the right main and nose landing gear collapsed. The right wing and lower fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8868M
- Reported as
- Beech 23 (A23)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-606
- Built
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 2,799.98
- Engine
- Continental IO-346-A, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 28, 2019 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- SEZ · Sedona, AZ
- Destination
- CHD · Chandler, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SEZ · Sedona, runway 03, 5,132 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 30, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 9,800 total · 30 in this make and model · 97 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- KSEZ
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 968 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.
Other investigations on N8868M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.