Rockwell 112TCA N4623W

Summary

On 6 March 2008 at about 21:30 local time, a Rockwell 112TCA registered N4623W was involved in an accident near West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 March 2008 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Brandywine (OQN)

Coordinates

39.9903, -75.5819

Aircraft

Rockwell 112TCA

Registration

N4623W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Chester → Warrenton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC08LA124

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to ensure that the pitch trim was properly set for takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident airplane had just undergone avionics maintenance and was released to the pilot/owner about 30 minutes prior to the accident. According to the technician who conducted the maintenance, the autopilot system operated correctly, and he instructed the pilot to "check his trim before he left, as it runs during ground checks." Prior to engine start, the pilot noticed that the pitch trim was set to the full airplane nose down (AND) position. He reset the trim to the takeoff position, and ensured that the autopilot was off. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, the airplane did "not feel right," and he rejected the takeoff. The airplane overran the 3,347 foot-long, dry, asphalt runway, traveled down an embankment, and came to rest in a shallow ditch. Post-accident examination and testing of the airplane elevator and pitch trim system by an FAA inspector confirmed elevator and manual pitch trim control continuity, and the controls were observed to be functional and directionally correct. The electric pitch trim and cockpit pitch trim indicator were also observed to be functional and directionally correct. One witness reported that about 10 minutes elapsed from the time that the airplane was pulled from the maintenance hangar to when the pilot reported the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.