Beech 76
St. Charles, MO — January 16, 2020
Event Information
| Date | January 16, 2020 |
| Event Type | ACC |
| NTSB Number | CEN20CA062 |
| Event ID | 20200116X50821 |
| Location | St. Charles, MO |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 38.92916, -90.43083 |
| Airport | St Charles County Smartt |
| Highest Injury | NONE |
Aircraft
| Make | Beech |
| Model | 76 |
| Category | AIR |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Aircraft Damage | SUBS |
Conditions
| Light Condition | DAYL |
| Weather | VMC |
Injuries
| Fatal | 0 |
| Serious | 0 |
| Minor | 0 |
| None | 2 |
| Total Injured | 0 |
Event Location
Probable Cause
The pilot receiving instruction’s misunderstanding of the flight instructor’s instruction and the pilot's and the instructor’s insufficient use of rudder while adding power to the operating engine, which resulted in the airplane rolling left and the wing striking the ground. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Full Narrative
The pilot and flight instructor had completed about two hours of multi-engine flight training and were performing a "zero thrust, single engine" full stop landing. A sink rate developed on final approach and the flight instructor told the pilot to "add a small amount of power to the right operating engine." The pilot misunderstood the instruction as "abort" and added full power to the right engine to abort the landing. The airplane rolled left and the flight instructor added right rudder to arrest the roll. The left wing hit the ground and the airplane rotated left on the ground, substantially damaging the airplane's left wing and collapsing the three landing gear. Neither pilot was injured. There were no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
About This NTSB Record
This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.