Beechcraft C23 N2240L

Summary

On 27 July 2022 at about 20:00 local time, a Beechcraft C23 registered N2240L, operated by De Plane LLC, was involved in an accident near Merrill, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 July 2022 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Merrill, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Merrill Municipal Airport (RRL)

Coordinates

45.1989, -89.7128

Aircraft

Beechcraft C23

Registration

N2240L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

De Plane LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Merrill → Merrill

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA440

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain adequate roll control during takeoff with a quartering tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was conducting a zero-flap takeoff when shortly after liftoff the airplane entered an unintentional right roll that neither the student pilot nor his flight instructor could correct with full left aileron and left rudder input. The airplane continued to roll right until the right wingtip struck the ground. The nose landing gear and left main landing gear separated from the airplane during the hard landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to a fuselage longeron, the left side of the stabilator, and the right aileron. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Flight control cable continuity was confirmed for the ailerons, rudder, and stabilator. The aileron system exhibited binding due to impact-related damage to the right aileron. The airport’s weather station reported a calm wind condition about 5 minutes before the accident. However, the airport manager reported that the surface wind at the time of the accident was from the southwest at 16.5 knots, gusting 19 knots. A postaccident weather model for the airport included a west surface wind (277°) at 9 knots. Based on the wind model data, the airplane likely departed runway 7 with an 8 knot left quartering tailwind. The unintentional right roll was likely due to the student pilot not maintaining adequate roll control after liftoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.