The Decision To Abort A Faltering Takeoff Is A Tough One

Sometimes it starts as no more than a weird feeling... other times, it has more concrete reasons... but the decision to abort a takeoff, in progress, can be one of the most critical in aviation. And sometimes, the only true arbiter as to he correctness of the decision relies on one simple questions... did everyone walk away in one piece? This time, they did... and we look forward to more info as to what might have caused the takeoff issues that led to the decision to abort.

NTSB Identification: ERA11LA249
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, April 14, 2011 in Linden, NC
Aircraft: BEECH D-45 (T-34B), registration: N93013
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On April 14, 2011, at 0820 eastern daylight time, a Beech, D-45 (T-34B), N93013, registered to the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Federal Excess Personal Property Program, and operated by an individual, impacted terrain during takeoff from a private grass strip field in Linden, North Carolina. The pilot and passenger were not injured, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot stated that he was asked if he would fly the donated airplane to a museum in New York. On April 7, 2011, the pilot flew the airplane from Kinston, North Carolina to his private airstrip in Linden. It was not until the morning of April 14, that the weather was favorable to resume the flight to the museum. The pilot got the airplane out of the hangar and conducted a preflight inspection and noted that each wing tank were about 2/3 full of fuel. The ground engine run up check was unremarkable and no discrepancies were noted. The pilot positioned the airplane with the nose toward the northwest and in such a matter to utilize the entire 3,000 foot grass strip; the runway was wet with morning dew. The pilot advanced the power and the target rpm was noted as the airplane rolled down the grass strip. The pilot recalled that he rotated about 50 to 60 knots and the passenger believed that the about 2/3 down the runway the airplane was about 10 to 12 feet over the runway. At that time the landing gear doors were heard closing after landing gear retraction. The airplane reached an altitude of about 50 feet; however, to both the pilot and passenger, the airplane felt like it was not gaining speed or altitude. The airplane started to descend and shortly impacted the ground, tree debris, and a tree stump. The pilot secured the airplane and both exited the airplane noting a strong smell of aviation fuel.

The responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector stated that the airplane came to rest flat on the ground with landing gear and flaps up, about 1,000 feet from the end of the grass strip. The airplane’s wreckage energy path went through tree stumps and down tree debris. The airplane’s empennage separated from the fuselage and came to rest behind the left wing, oriented in the same direction as the airplane. The wings were observed with dents in the leading edge and a large gash on the left side of the aircraft from rear baggage door to the end of the fuselage. Both propeller blades were curled indicative of power applied at impact. The northwest end of the grass strip area was cleared to provide a clearway.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov