History of Flight
On May 10, 2016, about 1215 Pacific daylight time, a Beech B24R Sierra, N2052L, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an attempted departure from Pine Mountain Lake Airport (E45), Groveland, California. The pilot and the passenger/owner received minor injuries. The personal flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan.
The passenger, a student pilot, had recently purchased the airplane in an estate sale. Both pilot and owner lived in Mississippi and traveled to E45 to retrieve the airplane. The aircraft had not been maintained, operated, or flown in over 10 years. The owner contracted with a mechanic at E45 to perform maintenance for the return flight.
On the day before the accident, the fuel tanks were filled, and the pilot and owner took the airplane on an uneventful first flight. The next day, they planned another flight for systems evaluation. The takeoff was on runway 9. The pilot reported that the initial takeoff roll and liftoff appeared normal, but during gear retraction, the aircraft started losing power. With about 1,000 feet of runway remaining, the engine was not producing enough power to climb or accelerate, and the airplane would not clear the trees beyond the runway. The pilot focused on climbing while avoiding a stall.
The airplane struck trees and a utility pole, then thick underbrush and the ground, coming to rest about 1,800 feet beyond the runway end, slightly north of the extended centerline. The outboard right wing was fracture-separated near the utility pole, and the engine separated from the fuselage. The fuselage was crumpled but the cabin retained its occupiable volume. No fire occurred.
Personnel Information
The pilot held an airline transport certificate with about 22,800 total flight hours, including 4,310 hours in single-engine airplanes. He had no prior experience in the accident make and model. His most recent flight review was in May 2015, and his third-class medical was issued in January 2015. The owner held a student pilot certificate and was an observer on both flights.
The mechanic who performed the maintenance held a mechanic certificate with Airframe, Powerplant, and Inspection Authorization (IA) ratings, but his IA rating had expired over a year prior and he had not successfully renewed it. During the maintenance period, his IA was invalid.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1976, equipped with retractable landing gear and a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 engine driving a constant-speed two-blade propeller. Its FAA registration had expired in 2011. The most recent annual inspection before the accident maintenance was completed in December 2005.
Meteorological Information
E45 had no official weather equipment. Eyewitness reports indicated a temperature of about 75°F (23°C) and a light west wind, with an estimated tailwind component of about 5 knots for runway 9. Density altitude was calculated at 4,686 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of pre-impact malfunctions or failures of airframe components. All flight control continuity was established. The flaps were retracted, and the landing gear was near fully retracted at impact. The fuel boost pump was off, and the fuel selector was set to the right tank. The fuel system showed no anomalies. The engine was fracture-separated; mechanical continuity was present, though the left magneto timing was 27 degrees (specified 20 degrees). Both magnetos tested satisfactorily. One harness lead had an electrical short, but the pilot did not report associated roughness.
Non-conformities to a thorough annual inspection included age-hardened fuel injector line clamps, uncleaned injector nozzles, reused spark plug gaskets, a finger-tight spark plug, deteriorated muffler baffling, aged flexible hoses, and deteriorated fuel cap and strainer gaskets.
Maintenance Records Issues
The mechanic initially signed off the airplane as airworthy with an IA designation. After the accident, he refused to release the logbooks, claiming payment was due. When an FAA inspector examined the logbooks, entries had been altered with whiteout and overwritten to indicate a "ferry inspection" and an "A&P" signature. "Ferry inspection" is not recognized by FAA. The mechanic had continued to represent himself as a valid IA after his rating expired.
Performance Considerations
Takeoff performance data from the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) provided distances for standard conditions. The actual takeoff used 0° flaps and encountered a tailwind and runway upslope. Manufacturer estimates for these conditions indicated ground roll of about 2,300 feet and distance to 50 feet of about 3,700 feet, not certified performance. The pilot estimated aircraft weight at 2,460 pounds. Other factors such as pilot technique, airspeed accuracy, and engine deterioration could not be quantified.
Surveillance Video
A fixed camera captured the takeoff. The airplane appeared airborne with landing gear extended about 2 feet above the runway, increasing to about 6 feet. The average ground speed was about 68 knots. Flaps appeared retracted but image resolution was insufficient to confirm. Engine speed was analyzed as 2,640 rpm.