Accident Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III N343AE,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 322977

Date:	Sunday 29 September 2002
Time:	09:13
Type:	Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III
Owner/operator:	Skylink Charter
Registration:	N343AE
MSN:	AC-554
Year of manufacture:	1983
Total airframe hrs:	30660 hours
Cycles:	44949 flights
Engine model:	Garrett TPE331-11U-611G
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 21
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Hawthorne Airport, CA (HHR) - United States of America
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Hawthorne Airport, CA (HHR/KHHR)
Destination airport:	Grand Canyon-National Park Airport, AZ (GCN/KGCN)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
When the airplane had accelerated between 40 and 60 knots, the pilot released the nose wheel steering button. At this time the pilot observed that the airplane was veering left of the runway's centerline. He rejected the takeoff by retarding the power levers into ground idle position and applied brakes. The Metro continued veering left, so he applied full right rudder and full reverse on the right engine in an attempt at regaining directional control. The plane veered off the side of the runway, traversed a dirt field, an active taxiway, and a vehicle service road. The airplane came to rest about 192 feet south of the runway's left edge. The forward half of the airplane's fuselage was imbedded in an airport T-hangar, damaging three light aircraft and a car.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage and was probably damaged beyond repair.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain directional control during the rejected takeoff. The loss of directional control was caused by the crew's failure to follow prescribed pretakeoff and takeoff checklist procedures to ensure the both propellers were out of the start locks. Contributing factors were the failure of the crew to follow normal company procedures during takeoff, the failure of the flightcrew to recognize an abnormal propeller condition during takeoff, and a lack of crew coordination in performing a rejected takeoff."

Accident investigation: