NTSB Factual Report

On May 28, 2015, about 1349 central daylight time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company model G36 airplane, N224TB, was destroyed during a postimpact fire after impacting trees and terrain shortly after takeoff from Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport (DZB), Horseshoe Bay, Texas. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by N224TB, LLC, of Austin, Texas, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, which had the intended destination of Burnet Municipal Airport (BMQ), Burnet, Texas.

According to the co-owner of the airplane, in the weeks preceding the accident flight, the airplane had been experiencing an intermittent lack of manifold pressure that resulted in reduced engine power. On the day of the accident, before the accident flight, the pilot had identified that the engine was not developing maximum takeoff power and called the co-owner to tell him that he was going to fly the airplane to BMQ to be examined by a mechanic.

The airport manager, who was also a witness to the accident, reported that she observed the accident airplane abort a takeoff on runway 17 (5,977 feet by 100 feet, asphalt) after it did not appear to accelerate normally on the takeoff run. After the aborted takeoff, the airplane taxied back to the north end of the airport for another takeoff attempt. She recalled that the airplane did not come to a stop before turning off the taxiway onto the runway and that the airplane immediately made another takeoff attempt. She reported that, on the second takeoff attempt, the airplane did not appear to accelerate normally and that she became concerned when it was still on the runway after it passed the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) building that was located about midfield. She recalled that the airplane eventually became airborne about 4,000 feet down the runway. After liftoff, the airplane was observed in a shallow climb before the airplane suddenly rolled to the left and descended into trees and terrain.

Two motorists, who were driving west on Highway 71, reported seeing the accident airplane descend in a left wing low attitude into trees and the roadway. After impact, the airplane caught fire and the pilot was observed to exit the right side of the airplane. One of the motorists assisted the pilot away from the airplane which had become fully engulfed in flames. The pilot was subsequently ambulanced to a local hospital with serious injuries.

At 1355, the DZB automated surface observing system reported: wind 160 degrees at 10 knots with 15 knot gusts, scattered clouds at 3,400 and 4,500 feet above ground level (agl), 10 mile surface visibility, moderate thunderstorm activity in the vicinity of the airport, temperature 32 degrees Celsius, dew point 22 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.01 inches of mercury. The automated report also remarked that there was lighting detected in the distant northeast thru the southwest. According to weather radar data and witness video footage of the accident, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Additionally, there was no evidence of any rain or thunderstorm activity at the airport when the accident occurred.

The airplane wreckage, including the engine, a turbo-normalized Continental model IO-550-B, was recovered to a secured storage facility and will be examined as part of the on-going investigation.