NTSB Factual Report

On August 10, 2002, approximately 1900 Pacific daylight time, a Beech B35, N5029C, registered to West Ridge Group, LLC., and being operated/flown by a private pilot sustained substantial damage when the aircraft failed to become airborne during takeoff and subsequently impacted a fence, crossed a road and came to rest in a ditch at the Pine Valley airport, Halfway, Oregon. The pilot and four accompanying passengers were uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the 2,577-foot high airport and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal, was operated under 14 CFR 91, and was destined for Boise, Idaho.

Local law enforcement personnel reported that the pilot was attempting to take off to the west at the Pine Valley private airstrip, and following the accident the pilot reported to the deputy on site that the aircraft was too heavy on takeoff. There were three adults and two children on board and the fuel load was reported as between two-thirds and three-quarters full in each wing tank. The Beech B35 aircraft is equipped with a single fuel tank in each wing that contains 20 gallons of fuel. The pilot's written report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2 attached) indicated that he departed Pine Valley with 12.5 gallons of fuel, and he reported the outside air temperature at the time as 89 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Centigrade). The pilot's narrative stated that during preflight the winds were out of the west-northwest at 8-12 knots and that runway 26 was slightly uphill. He further stated that "...In ground effect 2/3 down runway 26, wind reversed to tail wind. Set plane to runway & braked...."

An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration's Boise Flight Standards District Office examined the aircraft shortly after the accident. He reported that the aircraft had come to rest on the west side of an asphalt road running perpendicular and beyond the upwind end of runway 26. A small embankment on either side of the road resulted in a slight elevation of the roadway. A wire fence approximately four feet high was located just beyond the upwind end of the runway. The inspector observed tire marks on the runway and adjacent ground which appeared near the upwind end of the runway and veered right (northwest) and also observed the wire fence having been pushed down (refer to photographs 1 and 2). The propeller was observed in an "S" shaped from tip to tip and displayed extensive chordwise scratching near the tips (refer to photograph 3). All three landing gear were observed collapsed and both the left and right wheel strut fairing doors were observed in a near vertical position (refer to photograph 4).

The Pine Valley private airstrip's most recent FAA Form 5010 (07/07/1993) indicated the airstrip was equipped with a single dirt/gravel runway (08/26) which measured 2,000 feet in length by 80 feet in width. The elevation of the airstrip was estimated at 2,577 feet above mean sea level (MSL). The only remark associated with the 5010 read "RECOMMEND ACFT LND TO THE WEST; TKOF TO THE EAST DUE TO HIGH TRRN TO THE WEST" (refer to Attachment 5010-I).

The maximum gross takeoff weight of the Beech B35 aircraft was 2,650 pounds. The pilot reported the empty weight as 1,774 pounds. The weight range of fuel from three-quarter tanks (30 gallons) to 12.5 gallons, based on 5.87 pounds/gallon of gasoline was 176 to 73 pounds of fuel. The deputy on site provided the following estimated weights for the occupants:

Pilot: 175 pounds

Passenger 1: 210 pounds (front right seat)

Passenger 2: 100 pounds (rear seat juvenile)

Passenger 3: 90 pounds (rear seat juvenile)

Passenger 4: 180 pounds (rear seat adult)

Total weight: 755 pounds

The amount and weight of any baggage was not reported.

The nearest aviation reporting station was Baker City, Oregon, located 31 nautical miles west-southwest of the accident site at an elevation of 3,373 feet MSL. The 1853 surface weather observation reported in part temperature of 27 degrees C. (80 degrees F.), altimeter setting of 29.94 inches of mercury and winds from 320 degrees magnetic at 16 knots gusting to 21 knots. The density altitude was approximately 5,565 feet. The density altitude at the accident at the time of the accident was estimated to be 5,000 feet. Winds at Baker City one hour prior were reported as 330 degrees magnetic at 14 knots gusting to 22 knots, and the winds one hour after the accident were reported as 330 degrees magnetic at 10 knots with no reported gusts.

Takeoff distance for the B35 aircraft was available to the pilot in the Bonanza Handbook carried on board the aircraft. The takeoff distance was charted at several altitudes among which one charted for 5,000-foot altitude at a standard air temperature of 41 degrees F for both no wind conditions and a 10 mile per hour headwind. The chart provided corrections for temperatures above standard but did not provide any corrections for slope, runway surface type and conditions in excess of the aircraft's maximum gross takeoff weight (refer to CHART I).

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's delay in initiating an aborted takeoff and his failure to establish climb out of ground effect. Contributing factors were the high aircraft weight and high density altitude as well as the fence and berm, which the aircraft struck.