No fatalities

29 Jun 2015: CESSNA 337 B — William E. Miller — Blanding, UT

Blanding, UT, United States

On 29 Jun 2015, a CESSNA 337 B operated by William E. Miller was involved in an aviation accident near Blanding, UT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's selection of a departure runway of inadequate length for the density altitude, resulting in the airplane not gaining sufficient lift, departing the runway, and impacting terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A twin-engine airplane ran off the departure end of a runway into a field, sustaining substantial empennage damage. The pilot reported not leaning out the engines prior to takeoff and cited density altitude as a factor.

Accident Overview

A pilot of a twin-engine airplane reported that prior to departure, he "didn't lean out the motors." During the takeoff roll, the pilot stated that "there wasn't enough lift and probably the density altitude was involved." The airplane subsequently ran off the departure end of the runway into a field, impacting terrain. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the empennage.

Pilot Statement

The pilot attributed the accident to "pilot error." He also reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engines that would have precluded normal operation.

Environmental Conditions

According to additional information, the computed density altitude for the departure airport at the time of the accident was 8,570 feet.

Regulatory Findings

A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector reported that the pilot was not rated for multi-engine airplanes and that the airplane was not airworthy prior to the accident.

Contributing factors

PilotAttain/maintain not possibleContributed to outcome