ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 248514
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| Date: | Thursday 4 March 2021 |
| Time: | 15:10 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft C23 Sundowner |
| Owner/operator: | Del Ag Aero LLC |
| Registration: | N67013 |
| MSN: | M-2229 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 11968 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A4K |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Krens Farm Airport (14VA), Hillsboro, VA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Krens Farm Airport, VA (14VA) |
| Staunton-Shenandoah Valley Airport, VA (SHD/KSHD) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On March 4, 2021, about 1510 eastern standard time, a Beech C-23, N67013, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Purcellville, Virginia. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot was attempting to depart from a 1,900-ft-long turf runway, and customarily would depart toward the south as the runway sloped downhill in that direction (a total elevation change of about 50 feet). A witness described that, during the takeoff, the airplane was departing with a tailwind. The wind conditions at the closest weather reporting station about 13 nautical miles away indicated that a right quartering tailwind likely prevailed, with a right crosswind component of 21 knots and a tailwind component of 12 knots, gusting to 14 knots. The airplane subsequently impacted the tops of trees about 300 feet beyond and to the left of the runway departure end, and continued about 300 feet farther before coming to rest. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
The takeoff performance chart for the airplane indicated that a ground roll of 1,236 ft was required on a grass surface, and 2,068 ft was needed to clear a 50-ft obstacle. The chart did not contain a correction factor for a takeoff with a tailwind, which would require a longer ground roll and takeoff distance. With the available runway distance of 1,900 ft, the pilot would have been operating the airplane near the limits of its performance capability before accounting for the additional distance required due to the prevailing tailwind. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot’s decision to depart in the gusting tailwind conditions resulted in an inflight collision with trees during the initial climb.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper decision to depart from the short turf runway with a tailwind.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.nbc12.com/2021/03/04/killed-small-plane-crash-virginia/
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/one-dead-after-small-plane-crashes-in-western-loudoun-county
https://loudounnow.com/2021/03/04/report-small-plane-crashes-near-hillsboro/
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N67013
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/abpic-media-eu-production/pictures/full_size_0114/1171478-large.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Media:
NTSB investigating the fatal, March 4, 2021, crash of a Beech 23 near Hillsboro, Virginia. NTSB air safety investigator expected to arrive on scene morning of March 5.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) March 5, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Mar-2021 01:04 | Geno | Added |
| 05-Mar-2021 01:44 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Embed code] |
| 05-Mar-2021 12:30 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 05-Mar-2021 16:04 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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