The pilot reported that the winds were from 260 degrees at 10 knots. During the takeoff roll on runway 28, at about 60 miles per hour, he ‘began to bring the tail up for a wheel takeoff…. The airplane began to veer to the left.’ He ‘attempted to get the airplane straight with right rudder and right brake. The airplane ran off of the runway and ground looped on top of a hill.’
Category: Beech 45 (Beech 18 military)
The pilot was conducting a local skydiving flight. During the climb, both engines began to operate intermittently. The pilot instructed the parachutists to bail out at 9,000 feet msl and returned to the airport. The pilot failed to use carburetor heat during the descent. The pilot applied power to both engines while on final approach, but got no response.
The reserve parachute of one of the skydivers inadvertently deployed and pulled him out of the airplane, striking the left horizontal stabilizer. Examination of the reserve parachute revealed no evidence of any fault with the automatic signaling device.
After takeoff, the airplane was seen at low altitude trailing smoke from the left engine. Witnesses saw the wings ‘tipping’ back and forth, then a wing dropped and hit the ground. Examination revealed that a supercharger bearing had failed in the left engine. The left engine had been recently installed by non-certificated personnel after being inactive for 18 yrs without preservation.
The plt stated that during the initial application of power, the left eng backfired due to a possible too sudden application of power. He said that due to ‘inattention’ he let the acft ‘drift to the left side of the runway.’ just after the acft became airborne it ‘immediately started a roll to the left,’ and despite ‘full right aileron and rudder,’the left wing scraped the ground. He rejected the takeoff and the acft groundlooped. The purpose of the flt was to transport parachutists.
The aircraft was on a local flight involving a parachute jumping activity. In addition to the pilot, there were 12 parachutists and an observer on board. The pilot initiated his takeoff on runway 18. A witness stated that shortly after takeoff, the engine power was reduced to climb power, followed by the gear retraction. Reportedly, the aircraft had climbed to about 150 ft agl when the nose pitched up, th plane rolled to the left and then it crashed in a steep left bank, nose down attitude. An investigation revealed that the aircraft was loaded well beyond its maximum gross weight and aft cg limits. The amount of fuel on board was not verified, but even with no fuel, the plane would have been about 580 lbs over the maximum limit. With 100 gallons, the estimated gross weight would have been about 9939 lbs with the cg at about 121 inches. The maximum certificated gross weight was 8750 lbs with an aft cg limit of 117.6 inches. Extensive ground fire damage, but no preimpact, mechanical discrepancies evident.