Beechcraft 55 N6674Y

Summary

On 5 October 2018 at about 16:30 local time, a Beechcraft 55 registered N6674Y was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. One person was 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

5 October 2018 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Antonio Intl (SAT)

Coordinates

29.5389, -98.4803

Aircraft

Beechcraft 55

Registration

N6674Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Antonio → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA011

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper takeoff trim setting and failure to properly secure his seatbelt, which resulted in a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to follow the Before Takeoff checklist.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, the day before the accident flight, he had flown the airplane and wanted to become more comfortable with new instruments that had been installed. So, after the flight, while in a hangar, he and a friend turned the airplane's electrical power on to familiarize the pilot with the autopilot system and specifically with how it would follow heading bug settings. During the familiarization, they "ran the [pitch] trim all the way up." The pilot added that, before takeoff for the accident flight, he did not check the pitch trim setting because he believed it would be the same as his previous flight, instead of the pitch trim setting after his autopilot ground familiarization. He added that, during takeoff, the nose pitched up severely. He lowered the nose, and the airplane entered a negative G condition. He realized that he "did not latch the seat belt very good" and saw that his seatbelt had disconnected and that he was no longer in his seat and could not regain airplane control. The airplane struck the runway, porpoised, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane skidded and struck a taxiway light. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the vertical trim tab was in the full-down position, indicating that full nose-up trim was applied. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both engines and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Pilot's Operating Handbook checklist titled, "Before Takeoff," stated: Seat Belts and Shoulder Harnesses – CHECK… 15. Trim – AS REQUIRED FOR TAKE-OFF

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.