2012 Socata TB 10 accident at Konstanz

Overview and Investigation Status On 4 August 2012, a Socata Groupe Aerospatiale TB 10 aircraft crashed during a visual flight rules (VFR) departure from Verkehrslandeplatz Konstanz (EDTZ), Germany. The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) closed the investigation summarily under § 18 FlUUG, presenting only the facts. The aircraft was destroyed, and three people were injured: two seriously and one lightly. ## Flight and Accident Sequence The pilot, a 46-year-old private pilot, took off at 18:04 local time from grass runway 30 for a VFR trip. He reported rolling to the beginning of the runway to use its full length. He became concerned by “brown mud pits” near the runway threshold and before the halfway marking, and, fearing a gear failure, steered left with the rudder while attempting to lift off. After becoming airborne, the aircraft drifted left and left the runway. When the pilot tried to steer it back to the right, it struck the ground. The air traffic controller observed a normal takeoff roll until the aircraft lifted off near the halfway marking. It then broke left, passed over parked aircraft and “very narrowly” over the tower, and descended back toward the runway. In doing so, it struck a tent containing people, then impacted the ground and caught fire. ## Casualties and Damage The pilot was lightly injured, the passenger was seriously injured, and a person in the tent was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed, and there was damage to the ground. ## Aircraft and Pilot Details The TB 10 is a single-engine, four-seat, all-metal low-wing aircraft with a fixed tricycle landing gear. It was registered in Germany and operated by a commercial flight school. The aircraft had a Lycoming O-360-A1AD engine and an HC-C2YK-1BF/F7666-A2 propeller. Its serial number was 1099, built in 1990, with a total time of 8,590 hours. The pilot held a PPL(A) with PIC SE piston (land) and night qualifications, and had 193 total hours and 32 hours on type. ## Meteorological and Airport Conditions Weather at the time was visual meteorological conditions (VMC), with visibility over 10 km, calm winds, a temperature of 29 °C, and a pressure of 1,014 hPa. The airport is 1.6 nautical miles northwest of Konstanz city center, at 1,302 ft AMSL, with a 760 m by 50 m grass runway oriented 119°/299° (12/30). The runway was noted as uneven and partially usable only 25 m wide. A section of plastic plates (PSP plates) was installed about 40 m after the threshold on runway 30. ## Wreck and Fire The wreck came to rest in the western part of the airfield, about 1,000 m from the takeoff point and 45 m left of the runway centerline. Ground marks showed the right wing and then the propeller touched the ground first, followed by the left wing striking the tent and the aircraft impacting the ground. The wreck slid about 20 m before stopping, with a total distance of about 48 m from first ground contact to the final position. The left wing and left main gear were torn off, the engine mount and nose gear were bent at the fire bulkhead, and parts of the fuselage, cabin, engine cowl, and right wing were burned. The fire was controlled by the air traffic controller using on-site extinguishers, and the fire brigade applied a foam blanket.