Beechcraft 35 N5410D

Summary

On 17 August 2019 at about 18:55 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N5410D, operated by Michael Bletsch & Andrew Spiwak, was involved in an accident near Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 August 2019 at 18:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Sierra Blanca Rgnl (SRR)

Coordinates

33.4667, -105.5350

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35

Registration

N5410D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1956

Engines

1

Operator

Michael Bletsch & Andrew Spiwak

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Big Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA223

2 people were seriously injured.

The airplane’s inability to maintain altitude during the initial climb due to a degradation in the airplane’s performance as a result of high-density altitude conditions at the time of takeoff. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s inadequate preflight performance planning calculations.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and one passenger were departing from an airport located at an elevation of 6,813 ft mean sea level (msl). The pilot determined that, based on the temperature and gross weight of the airplane, the takeoff ground roll distance was about 2,900 ft total distance required to clear a 50-ft obstacle. The runway was 6,300 ft long. The pilot reported that the airplane became airborne about halfway down the runway and climbed to about 150 to 200 ft above ground level when he noticed a loss of engine power and the airplane began to descend. The pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing and the airplane impacted terrain, resulting in substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation, and onboard video revealed that the engine continued to produce sufficient power throughout the flight. Before the accident flight, the pilot determined that, based on his calculation, the density altitude was 8,500 ft mean sea level (msl). Based on the weather conditions reported by the airport’s automated weather observation at the time of the accident, the density altitude was about 9,700 ft msl, which required a takeoff distance of about 3,300 ft. It is likely that the takeoff and climb performance, due to the density altitude, was degraded to an extent beyond that anticipated by the pilot, and the airplane was unable to maintain altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.