AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017 - 83

According to the NTSB, the
pilot's operating handbook projected a flaps-up takeoff to clear
the 50-foot obstacle at about 2,900
feet, with ground roll estimated at
about 1,700 feet. That's based on
3,600 pounds (maximum takeoff
weight and below the actual takeoff weight) on a paved, level, dry
runway, becoming airborne at 64
knots and accelerating to 69 KIAS
at the obstacle.
With flaps set to 25 degrees,
a maximum-performance takeoff
profile on a paved, level, dry runway would yield a liftoff speed of
53 knots, a climb speed of 58 knots,
a ground roll distance of about
1,210 feet, and an obstacle clearance distance of about 2,150 feet.
Those were not the conditions
encountered. To clear a 50-foot
obstacle, using the club numbers
and maximum-performance configuration, investigators estimated
an obstacle clearance distance of
1,870 feet. That's optimistic compared to factory numbers.
Perhaps more telling is the
warning in the POH: "The performance charts are unfactored
and do not make any allowance
for varying degrees of pilot proficiency or mechanical deterioration
of the aircraft. Effects of conditions not considered on the charts
must be evaluated by the pilot,
such as the effect of soft or grass
runway surface on takeoff and
landing performance. Warning:
Performance information derived
by extrapolation beyond the limits of the charts should not be used
for flight planning purposes."
The NTSB determined the
probable cause to be "The pilot's
poor judgment/decision making in
attempting the no-flap takeoff, his
failure to comply with weight and
balance limitations, and his failure
to calculate the airplane's performance under existing conditions."

TOO MUCH ELK

In late September 2005, a hunter
and his friend planned to leave
the Flying B Ranch near Salmon,
Idaho, to return to California in
a Cessna P210. They had bagged
an elk and the hindquarters were
estimated at 75 pounds each.
They had front quarters as well.
The pilot told the passenger they
could put at least 160 pounds
of weight in the rear compartment. According to the NTSB,
"The passenger loaded the two
hindquarters and then put in
two sleeping bags, a shirt, a pair
of pants, a felt hat, and some
Styrofoam packing."
A resort employee reported
seeing two seats in the rear of the
airplane's passenger compartment. In front of these seats, the
pilot and passenger loaded the
two front quarters, two rifles,
two duffel bags, two scabbards, a
backpack (possibly two), a small
saw, saddlebags, and the antlers.

TAKEOFF TIPS
Refine your skills for this
critical phase of flight
Takeoffs consistently see the
second-highest number of pilotrelated accidents, according to an
analysis from the AOPA Air Safety
Institute. The latest Joseph T. Nall
Report reported that in 2013,
lapses in airmanship during takeoff
or initial climb caused 13 percent
of all noncommercial fixed-wing
accidents, and 7 percent of the
fatal accidents. ASI's Takeoffs and
Landings Safety Spotlight (www.
airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/
takeoffsandlandings) highlights
interactive resources relevant to
these higher-risk phases of flight,
including a mountain flying course
and general takeoff tips.

Additionally, this area contained
"three shopping bags with merchandise they had just purchased
in the store (three vests, two
T-shirts, one jacket, and one
visor)" and a container with aircraft window cleaning supplies.
Each duffel bag was estimated at
about 75 pounds.
The ranch's privately owned
turf strip was 2,000 feet long,
running north and south, with a
ridge across the approach end of
the south runway. Field elevation
was 3,647 feet.
The plan was to leave in the
late afternoon and to refuel at
Boise, Idaho, some 100 miles
away. Even with relatively light
fuel, the load was impressive. The
density altitude was 4,793 feet,
and the winds were calm. Two
witnesses described the takeoff
as taking nearly the full length
of the runway and that the aircraft was "wallowing back and
forth." According to the NTSB,
witnesses "watched the airplane
as it veered left,...crossed the
river and impacted the ground
tail first, the nose slammed into
the ground...and it came to rest
inverted and caught fire." There
were no survivors.
This 1979 P210 had been modified with a turboprop engine about
four months prior to the accident.
The manual for the modified aircraft estimated takeoff from a dry
grass runway to require about
1,580 feet of ground roll and a total
distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle as 2,461 feet. According to the
NTSB's estimate, the aircraft was
within weight and balance limits and the flaps were set to about
15 degrees as determined from
the wreckage. The investigators
could find no abnormalities with
the engine or aircraft.
The private pilot had just
less than 2,000 hours total time,
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 83
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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017

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