Video: Beech A36, N57S Crash Caused by Overweight Plane, NTSB

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The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on an airplane crash at the Fairmont Municipal Airport last month.

It happened at about 9:15 a.m. on September 19, 2009, when the plane was headed to Auburn/Opelieka Robert G. Pitts Airport so those on-board could attend the West Virginia University versus Auburn University football game.

The pilot told investigators that he completed his preflight inspection of the plane, including calculating the plane's weight, before boarding his three passengers on the plane, the report says.

However, while the maximum allowable gross weight for the plane was 3,650 pounds, the NTSB calculates that the plane weighed 3,842 pounds, according to the report.

That weight included the weight of the pilot, passengers, forty pounds of baggage, and seventy gallons of fuel, investigators say.

The accident injured the pilot and one passenger seriously, it says in the report, while the two other passengers had minor injuries.

The plane was positioned for takeoff on the runway when it started to have problems.

“The airplane appeared to accelerate fine until I got to about 4 feet above the runway, but it didn't want to fly. The only way to get it to fly was to push the nose down, and I didn't want to do that, so I pulled the power off and landed. I was about three-quarters of the way down the runway when I aborted the takeoff. The airplane was performing fine,” the pilot told the NTSB. “I just didn’t recognize the hill at the departure end. It was my fault, and an airport design fault.”

There was not room on the runway for the airplane to stop, and the plane ran up the hill of a newly constructed runway extension before stopping.

NTSB Identification: ERA09LA530

14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation

Accident occurred Saturday, September 19, 2009 in Fairmont, WV

Aircraft: BEECH A36, registration: N57S

Injuries: 4 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On September 19, 2009, about 0915 eastern daylight time, a Beech A36, N57S, was substantially damaged after an aborted takeoff and runway overrun at Fairmont Municipal Airport (4G7), Fairmont, West Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot/owner and one passenger were seriously injured, and two passengers sustained minor injuries Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight that was originating at the time of the accident, and was destined for Auburn/Opelieka Robert G. Pitts Airport (AUO), Auburn, Alabama. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to fly to Alabama to attend a college football game. Prior to departure, he completed a preflight inspection of the airplane, filled the tanks with fuel, loaded luggage, and then briefed and boarded his 3 passengers. He completed the engine start and run-up by the checklist, with no anomalies noted, and taxied the airplane for takeoff. The pilot stated that prior to loading the airplane, he calculated that the airplane did not exceed its maximum allowable gross weight.

The pilot positioned the airplane on runway 23 for takeoff with the flaps retracted, and applied full power prior to releasing the brakes. According to the pilot, “The airplane appeared to accelerate fine until I got to about 4 feet above the runway, but it didn't want to fly. The only way to get it to fly was to push the nose down, and I didn't want to do that, so I pulled the power off and landed. I was about three-quarters of the way down the runway when I aborted the takeoff. The airplane was performing fine.”

The pilot stated that about the same time he realized the airplane would not climb, he noticed the up-sloping embankment at the departure end of the runway, which was 2,859 feet in length. “I just didn’t recognize the hill at the departure end. It was my fault, and an airport design fault.”

In a telephone interview, one witness stated that the airplane caught his eye because it was one-half to three-quarters of the way down the runway on the takeoff roll, and only about 6 feet above the runway. The airplane then suddenly dropped back to the runway and skid the remaining length before sliding up the embankment.

A review of FAA airman records and the pilot’s logbook revealed that pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land and instrument airplane. He also held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for rotorcraft helicopter. His most recent FAA third class medical certificate was issued April 2009. The pilot recorded about 3,910 total hours of flight experience, of which 393 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. He recorded 20 hours of total flight experience in the previous 90 days.

A review of the pilot’s logbook revealed that the pilot stopped recording flights on May 23, 1997, and resumed recording flights May 28, 2009.

According to FAA and maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1985 and had accrued 2,821 total aircraft hours. Its most recent annual inspection was completed July 23, 2009, at 2,806 total aircraft hours. The maximum allowable gross weight for the airplane was 3,650 pounds.

Weight and balance calculations were completed using the airplane’s maintenance records, and the weights volunteered by the pilot, his passengers, 40 pounds of baggage, and 70 gallons of fuel. The estimated weight of the airplane at takeoff was 3,842 pounds.

At 0853, the weather reported at North Central West Virginia Airport (CKB), Clarksburg, West Virginia included clear skies and calm winds. The visibility was 10 miles. The temperature was 14 degrees Celsius (C) and the dew point was 11 degrees C.

Examination of photographs revealed substantial damage to the engine compartment, and separation of all three landing gear. The engine appeared separated from its mounts, but remained attached by lines and cables.

Skid marks on the runway measured about 450 feet from the initial marks to the departure end of the paved runway, and continued across the grass overrun apron and up the embankment another 228 feet to the wreckage.