On November 18, 1968, a Beechcraft D18 (registration N629B) operated by Ortner Air Services was involved in an aviation accident near Detroit-Metropolitan-Wayne County, United States of America during takeoff. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was caused by the combination of the following factors: Inadequate supervision of flight crew, Failure to provide adequate directives, manual and equipments, Deficiency in company maintained equipment, services, regulations, Inadequate preflight… This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft crashed in Inkster shortly after takeoff from Detroit-Wayne County Airport. All four occupants were seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed. The accident was attributed to multiple factors including inadequate supervision and improperly loaded aircraft.
Accident Details
Shortly after takeoff from Detroit-Wayne County Airport, while in initial climb, the crew encountered serious difficulties with the aircraft. The aircraft was unstable and failed to gain sufficient altitude. It subsequently stalled and crashed in Inkster, north of the airfield. All four occupants were seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed.
Official Findings
According to the investigation, the probable cause of the accident was a combination of several factors:
Inadequate supervision of flight crew
Failure to provide adequate directives, manuals, and equipment
Deficiency in company-maintained equipment, services, and regulations
Inadequate preflight preparation and/or planning
Improperly loaded aircraft—weight and/or center of gravity (CofG)
Inadequate supervision of flight on behalf of the pilot-in-command
Inability to reduce the angle of attack to obtain V2 speed during initial climb, as the total weight was 1,727 lbs above gross weight and the CofG was 9.26 inches aft of the maximum CofG limits
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