What happened
On November 16, 2019, at approximately 3:15 p.m., a Cessna 421B, registration N54TT, was performing a takeoff from runway 19 at Dr. Joaquín Balaguer International Airport (MDJB) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Shortly after liftoff, while the landing gear was still retracted, the aircraft experienced a gradual loss of power in the number one engine.
The pilot attempted to accelerate to an airspeed sufficient to continue the takeoff; however, unable to maintain necessary performance, the pilot elected to abort the takeoff. The aircraft performed an emergency landing with the landing gear still in the retracted position. During the sequence, the aircraft traveled approximately 100 feet along the runway before exiting the runway threshold and sliding roughly 300 feet into the runway safety area. All three occupants (the pilot and two passengers) were uninjured.
The investigation
The CIAA investigation team examined the operational aspects, human performance, airworthiness, and the physical wreckage. The investigation included visual inspections of the damage, GPS mapping of the final aircraft position, and verification of fuel and oil levels. Investigators also performed continuity tests on the engine #1 power controls and inspected the fuel system and the fuel supply to the affected engine.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained severe damage to the airframe, including the tearing of the lower surface of the left wing after impacting two runway lights, and the tearing of the right wing's lower surface due to contact with the runway threshold.
- Both propellers sustained damage from impacting the runway surface and the terrain in the safety area.
- The primary cause of the aborted takeoff was a gradual loss of power in the number one engine following takeoff with the landing gear retracted.