The airplane was substantially damaged at 1000 Eastern time while attempting to depart. The private pilot and the passenger incurred minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later stated, “something didnt feel right” at about the midpoint of the runway during the takeoff. After lifting off, the airplane settled back to the runway, then lifted off again. He then retracted the landing gear. Shortly thereafter, he noticed the engine was losing power gradually. Seeing the trees at the end of the runway were “coming up quicker” than the pilot wanted them to, he veered the airplane off the left side of the runway toward a road. The airplane continued to settle onto the ground, and the pilot reduced the throttle to idle. The airplane struck a road sign and fire hydrant, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, before coming to rest.
August 5, 2008, Lockport, N.Y., Beech B35 Bonanza
The airplane was substantially damaged at 1000 Eastern time while attempting to depart. The private pilot and the passenger incurred minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later stated, "something didnt feel right" at about the midpoint of the runway during the takeoff. After lifting off, the airplane settled back to the runway, then lifted off again. He then retracted the landing gear.
Key Takeaways:
- An airplane sustained substantial damage, and the pilot and passenger incurred minor injuries, during an attempted takeoff due to a gradual loss of engine power.
- The pilot felt "something didn't feel right" mid-runway, and after lifting off and retracting the gear, noticed a gradual power loss.
- To avoid trees, the pilot veered the settling aircraft off the runway, ultimately striking a road sign and fire hydrant before coming to a stop.
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