Beechcraft F35 N3880B

Summary

On 27 April 2024 at about 13:35 local time, a Beechcraft F35 registered N3880B was involved in an accident near McAlpin, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 April 2024 at 13:35

Classification

Accident

Location

McAlpin, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Little River (FL10)

Coordinates

30.1181, -82.9128

Aircraft

Beechcraft F35

Registration

N3880B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1955

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Palm Beach

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA197

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and failure to abort the takeoff at the predetermined decision point.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and his passenger were preparing for a cross-country flight. After a routine preflight inspection and engine start, the pilot taxied to runway 27, which was 2,644 ft-long and comprised of turf. The grass was “mid height” and wet from the morning dew. The pilot commonly used a “hump” in the runway as a go/no-go decision point, which was about midfield. During the takeoff roll, he scanned his tablet device for speed and noted 47 knots; 52 knots was stall speed, configured. As the takeoff roll continued, he tried to “pop” the airplane off the ground and into ground effect; this attempt was unsuccessful. He realized that the airplane would not become airborne and it departed the end of the runway, collided with a berm, and spun around to a stop. A postaccident fire ensued and the pilot and passenger egressed the airplane without injuries. Despite attempts to extinguish the fire, it progressed and eventually consumed the fuselage. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the airplane was destroyed. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported that performing the “no go” decision at the hump in the runway would have prevented the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.