Plane Crash List

Beechcraft G36 N224TB

28 May 2015 · Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 28 May 2015 at about 18:43 local time, a Beechcraft G36 registered N224TB, operated by N224TB, LLC, was involved in an accident near Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 18:43
Classification
Accident
Location
Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States
Nearest airport
Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport (DZB)
Coordinates
30.5269, -98.3589
Aircraft
Beechcraft G36
Registration
N224TB
Category
Airplane
Year built
2006
Engines
1
Operator
N224TB, LLC
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Horseshoe Bay → Burnet
Aircraft damage
Destroyed
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
CEN15LA247

People

1 person was seriously injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 1 0 0

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to abort the takeoff after the partial loss of engine power before liftoff, and the partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About six weeks before the accident, the pilot aborted a takeoff when the airplane’s engine did not develop the expected manifold pressure required for takeoff. After the aborted takeoff, the pilot completed several engine runups to troubleshoot the engine issue. The fuel flow to the engine would suddenly decrease when the engine power was increased above 24 inches of manifold pressure. The pilot’s aviation mechanic was unable to replicate the engine issue on two subsequent occasions. On the day of the accident, the pilot completed an uneventful before-takeoff engine runup. The airplane then had a loss of engine power during the takeoff run when the pilot increased the engine power to about 25 inches of manifold pressure. The pilot immediately reduced engine throttle, and the engine resumed normal operation at a lower manifold pressure. The pilot aborted the takeoff, taxied off the runway, and attempted to troubleshoot the engine issue. However, he was unable to replicate the engine issue during a subsequent engine run-up, during which the engine ran normally at 28 inches of manifold pressure. He also verified proper operation of the fuel selector, magnetos, battery and alternator, engine-driven fuel pump, auxiliary fuel pump, and mixture control. The pilot decided that he would fly the airplane to another location where it could be further examined by his aviation mechanic. The pilot selected 30 inches of manifold pressure and 33 gallons per hour (gph) for the takeoff, but the engine power decreased to 25 inches of manifold pressure and 12 gph at some point during the takeoff roll. The pilot stated that he believed the airplane would have departed the end of the runway if he had aborted the takeoff and that, despite the partial loss of engine power, he thought he could save the airplane by continuing the takeoff. The pilot was unable to restore full engine power and a forced landing was completed to a nearby highway. The airplane was subsequently destroyed by a postimpact fire. A mobile phone video showed the airplane began its takeoff roll about 175 ft from the start of the runway. The airport manager reported that the airplane did not appear to accelerate normally during the takeoff roll. Video of the takeoff showed the airplane became airborne about 3,560 ft down the runway from where it started its takeoff roll. Takeoff performance calculations determined that about 1,250 ft of the 5,977 ft-long asphalt runway was required for a normal takeoff at maximum gross weight and with the wing flaps retracted. Based on the available information, the pilot was aware of the partial loss of engine power during the takeoff run and should have aborted the takeoff before liftoff, which required about 3 times the expected runway distance. After liftoff, the airplane was observed in a shallow climb before it rolled to the left and descended into trees and terrain. The airplane was subsequently destroyed during a postimpact fire. Postaccident examination of the engine and its accessories did not reveal any mechanical malfunction that would have resulted in a loss of engine power. However, the engine, fuel system, and turbo-normalizing components sustained extensive damage that precluded the additional testing required to determine why the engine lost power. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Beechcraft G36 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
23 Mar 2015 Beechcraft G36
N936B
Inverness, Florida, United States Associated Packaging Inc Minor injuries -
23 May 2014 Beechcraft G36
N536G
Silver City, New Mexico, United States - Fatal 4
20 Aug 2014 Beechcraft G36
N636TM
Milton, Florida, United States John Galdieri Minor injuries -
26 Apr 2013 Beechcraft G36
N222GL
Hoxie, Kansas, United States Garmin International Inc No injuries -
8 Sep 2013 Beechcraft G36
N771WG
Edgartown, Massachusetts, United States William J Greco No injuries -
19 Jul 2013 Beechcraft G36
PR- KEX
Bonito, Brazil Guilherme Coimbra Prata Fatal 2

All 25 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
5 Sep 2015 Cessna TR182
N4707S
Midland, Texas, United States - Fatal 1
31 Jan 2015 Butler Raymond ROTORWAY EXEC 162F
N162RB
Seadrift, Texas, United States Butler William Raymond No injuries -
23 Jul 2015 Aero Commander 100
N5542M
San Antonio, Texas, United States - Serious injuries -
9 Jun 2015 Hunziker EROS 1650R
N104JX
Quitman, Texas, United States Ben J. Hunziker Serious injuries -
23 Jan 2015 Maule MX 7-180
N773MC
Georgetown, Texas, United States Donald Pfiester No injuries -
3 Nov 2015 Bell 407
N496AE
San Antonio, Texas, United States Air Evac EMS, Inc. No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States