On September 13, 1995, a Beech 77 (registration N6721D) was involved in an aviation accident near Hendersonville, NC. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to compute the airplane's weight and balance, which resulted in the aircraft being overloaded beyond its maximum gross takeoff weight limitation. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
The pilot did not compute weight and balance or perform preflight calculations. The aircraft failed to accelerate or climb after takeoff and crashed into trees.
What happened
During the post-accident investigation, the pilot admitted that he had neglected to compute the airplane's weight and balance prior to departure. Additionally, he did not perform any necessary preflight performance calculations. As a result of these omissions, the aircraft was significantly overloaded.
Upon initiating the takeoff roll, the airplane failed to accelerate properly and was unable to climb. The overloaded aircraft subsequently crashed into trees and the ground. Postaccident calculations confirmed that the airplane exceeded the maximum gross takeoff weight limitations by 260 pounds.
Findings
The pilot did not compute the airplane weight and balance.
The pilot did not perform preflight performance calculations.
The airplane was 260 pounds over the maximum gross takeoff weight limit.
The aircraft failed to accelerate and climb during takeoff.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to compute the airplane's weight and balance, which resulted in the aircraft being overloaded beyond its maximum gross takeoff weight limitation.
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