Cessna 414 N698D

Summary

On 30 August 2020 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 414 registered N698D was involved in an accident near Ray, Michigan, 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

30 August 2020 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ray, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Ray Community (57D)

Coordinates

42.7368, -82.8888

Aircraft

Cessna 414

Registration

N698D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Pontiac

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA372

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s loss of directional control on takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the preflight, taxi, and run-up were normal and that the brakes of the twin-engine airplane operated normally. He reported that during takeoff, the airplane suddenly veered to the right, which he attempted to counteract with left rudder input. He ultimately decided to abort the takeoff, but, according to the pilot, the airplane was already partially in the grass. It travelled through the grass, turned 90° to the left, and the landing gear collapsed. A pilot-rated witness reported seeing the airplane taxi onto the runway and that the airplane did not use the displaced threshold as available runway for takeoff. The airplane stopped on the runway and then the engines went to full power. During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered left, then overcorrected to the right, at which time the airplane was going to exit the runway. The airplane became airborne and attempted to fly in ground effect with the wings “wallowing near stall.” One wing dropped and the airplane impacted the ground. The fuselage sustained substantial damage. Examination of the airplane was limited due to impact damage; however, there were no preimpact anomalies noted that would have precluded normal operations. Based on the available information, the pilot lost directional control of the airplane during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.