Accident Details
On August 26, 2014, at 1800 central daylight time, a Beechcraft A-36 single-engine airplane, registration N8176M, sustained substantial damage during takeoff from West Houston Airport (IWS) in Houston, Texas. The flight was operated under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations as a personal flight, with an instrument flight rules flight plan filed for destination Monroe, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Pilot and Witness Statements
The private pilot reported conducting a preflight inspection and engine run-up, which were normal. During takeoff, the airplane rotated at 80 knots and began to climb. According to the pilot, a couple of seconds into the climb, a performance or power loss occurred, resulting in an inability to climb. The pilot leveled the nose to gain airspeed, then slightly lowered it, and engaged the landing gear up-switch. The airplane then descended and landed on its belly, sliding off the runway and striking the runway's precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who witnessed the accident observed the airplane depart with a nose-high attitude and in an exaggerated cross-control condition. The inspector estimated the tail was about 10 feet above the runway surface. The airplane briefly disappeared from view, then reappeared sliding on its belly.
Aircraft Damage
Examination of the aircraft revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and firewall. The three-bladed propeller was damaged: one blade was missing approximately 4 inches from the tip and bent backwards in an arc covering about two-thirds of the blade; the other two blades were intact but both bent backwards over two-thirds of the blade. No mechanical deficiencies were identified that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane and engine at the time of the accident.
According to the Beech Bonanza A-36 Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), Section IV, the TAKEOFF checklist instructs that the landing gear be retracted only after a positive rate-of-climb is established.
Pilot Background
The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and reported a total flight time of 928 hours, with 149 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.