Beechcraft A36TC N2WZ

Summary

On 12 May 2012 at about 16:45 local time, a Beechcraft A36TC registered N2WZ, operated by L & M Trucking LLC, was involved in an accident near Erwin, North Carolina, United States. 6 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 May 2012 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Erwin, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Harnett Regional Jetport (HRJ)

Coordinates

35.3800, -78.7322

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36TC

Registration

N2WZ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

L & M Trucking LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Erwin → Darlington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA336

1 person had minor injuries.

The partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff due to fatigue-fractured exhaust valve springs. Contributing to the accident was the mechanic’s decision to install exhaust valve springs with an unknown service history in the engine’s No. 4 cylinder.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After what he described as an uneventful engine run-up, the pilot took off from the 5,000-foot-long runway. The pilot stated that when the airplane reached an altitude of about 50 feet, he retracted the landing gear; the engine lost partial power. The airplane yawed to the left and touched down again, impacting a thicket. According to a witness who observed the takeoff, the engine power never decreased until the engine stopped suddenly upon impacting the ground. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve springs had fractured in fatigue. Detailed examination of the springs showed that the fatigue cracking likely originated from one or more of the iron oxide (rust) pits present on the surface of the springs. The springs had been installed in the engine about 1 year before the accident flight. According to the mechanic who installed the springs, he had retrieved them from a similar engine’s cylinder that was removed from another airplane; there was no documentation of the springs’ service history or serviceability.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.