Beech A36 accident near Sedona, AZ
On April 13, 2003, a Beech A36 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sedona, AZ. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 13, 2003
- Place
- Sedona, AZ
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.841°N, 111.797°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030418X00530
Official records · LAX03FA135
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 13, 2003, about 1230 mountain standard time, a Beech A36, N323D, collided with a fence and then terrain during takeoff from runway 21 at Sedona, Arizona. Mesa Pilot Development, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) pilot, the private pilot undergoing instruction (PUI), and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The instructional cross-country flight was en route to Williams Gateway Airport, Phoenix, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 34 degrees 50.63 minutes north latitude and 111 degrees 47.69 minutes west longitude. Several witnesses observed the takeoff roll. They all noted that the airplane did not seem to accelerate and was rolling very slowly as it passed the midfield point. Several of the witnesses noted that the flaps were partially down. The witnesses thought that the pilot would abort the takeoff. However, the airplane continued down the runway and was still on the ground about 80 percent of the way down the runway. Then the pilot rotated it to a takeoff attitude. Several witnesses thought that it retained that attitude, and if it left he ground at all, it only attained an altitude of several feet. Several of the witnesses that heard the engine reported that it did not sound like it was producing much power. The engine tones stayed steady and the engine sounded smooth. It did not cough, sputter, or backfire, and none of them ob
Probable cause
a partial loss of engine power due to the certified flight instructor's failure to comply with the pilot operating handbook requirements for the mixture setting during takeoff. Also causal was the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight, failure to monitor the airplane's performance, and failure to initiate an aborted takeoff in a timely way.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
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Browse: Arizona · Beech aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
