Down In Field Shortly After Take-Off

A New Jersey couple was hospitalized in Elko (NV) Tuesday morning after their Beechcraft B-36 made an emergency landing in a field shortly after take-off from Elko Regional Airport.

Authorities said the couple had just departed Elko's Runway 5 and apparently ran into power problems right away.

"To the tower, it didn't appear he climbed at a normal rate of climb," said airport director Cris Jensen.

The aircraft hit a stop sign and crossed a highway before coming to rest in a field, according to authorities. Brian Adams was at work in a nearby truck stop. "It was pretty devastating," he said in an interview with the Elko Free-Press. "I saw the flames shoot about 50 feet in the air and I felt the heat on my face."

As the Bonanza skidded along the road, it went right past the Elko Fire Department. Firefighters, who were outside washing their engines, rushed to the scene where the aircraft came to rest.

"This could have been a lot worse than it was," Adams said.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 7923M        Make/Model: BE35      Description: 35 Bonanza
  Date: 04/05/2004     Time: 1520

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Serious     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: ELKO                        State: NV   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT DURING TAKEOFF, RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY, THRU A FENCE, ACROSS
  THE HIGHWAY AND INTO A FIELD, ACFT CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS DESTROYED, THE TWO
  PERSONS ON BOARD WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED, ELKO, NV

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   1     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:    1     Fat:   0     Ser:   1     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:           Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: UNK                                                                        
                                                                                    
                                                        

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Take-off      Operation: General Aviation

  Departed: ELKO, NV                    Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: UNK                      Flt Plan: UNK          Wx Briefing: U
  Last Radio Cont: UNK
  Last Clearance: UNK

  FAA FSDO: RENO, NV  (WP11)                      Entry date: 04/06/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov