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Yup. Same airplane at Tonopah, Nevada after its final flight on 17 Jun 2007.


My Time In The Life Of N6511R

Hover your mouse over each photo for comments.

Here is the ad photo that caught my eye in the fall of 2006. Another photo of N6511R at her former home in Arkansas. Nice paint. Nice interoir.

I bought this Beechcraft Sierra B24R from a father-son partnership in Arkansas. She was in good shape with fairly new paint and interior. The engine had a bit over 340 hours. A look at the logs indicated that she's had several owners including at least one flight school. The deal was sealed via emails and by phone. I got a thorough Sierra check-out by a CFI in Ohio in his airplane, then traveled to Arkansas to fly her to her new home in October, 2006.

Here she sits on the ramp just after I brought her to her new home in Utah (CDC). Here is the panel as it was just before I bought her.
A shot of the left panel just after I brought her home. A shot of the right panel just after I brought her home.

After over 30 years of flying military and airline hardware, I'd been kinda spoiled. I had to have an HSI and wanted an IFR GPS to replace the old Garmin III VFR GPS. I arranged for Flight Trails Helicopters in Mesa, Arizona to do the avionics upgrade.

  • HSI - Century slaved NSD-360A (the old course indicator #2 was removed)

  • Fuel Flow Indicator - Electronics International FP-5L (below the HSI - talks to the GPS!)

  • GPS & Comm-Nav #1 - Garmin GNS-430 connected to the HSI

  • Comm-Nav #2 - Michel MX-170B connected to the remaining Course Indicator

  • Transponder - Garmin GTX-327 (talks to the GPS!)

  • DME was updated to be remotely tuned by either Nav 1 in the GPS or Nav 2 in the Michel

  • The KR-85 ADF/boat anchor still works, so I elected to keep it, but probably should have had it removed

Several times during the installation, I'd get a call or an email from Flight Trails regarding problems they'd encountered.

  • Both the pitot and static lines needed repair. While doing that, they discovered a leak in one of the landing gear

  • The old King transponder wasn't transmitting, hence the new Garmin transponder

  • The Comm antennas needed replacing

  • While doing the antenna work, they discovered rotten cabin vent hoses

  • While running the wiring for the Fuel Flow indicator, they noticed holes in the exhaust system

  • The factory fuel indicators were giving bizarre readings. That was corrected and gave an excuse to add the Fuel Flow Indicator system (which has consistently been off less than 1/2%)

While these problems resulted in cost overruns, but gave me a better, more reliable airplane. Additionally, my annual inspection a few months latter went smoothly with no new-found discrepancy other than worn brakes. I am very happy with the work done at Flight Trails.

She spent a couple of months in Mesa for an avionics upgrade. Here is her new HSI above the new Fuel Flow Indicator. She also got a new IFR-certified Garmin 430 and a new Garmin 327 transponder to go with her new Michel MX-170B comm-nav.

I have found the Sierra to be a pleasure to fly -- especially after getting all this work done. I even had occasion to fly a couple of real-IFR GPS approaches on the west coast.

This month (June, 2007) I took a trip with my bride of 34 years. We flew from Cedar City, Utah to the Seattle area to visit some grandkids. We continued to the San Francisco area where my wife attended a week-long conference.

On 17 June, 2007, we headed home to Cedar City. We made a fuel/potty-break stop in Tonopah, Nevada. I filed a VFR flight plan from Tonopah, Nevada to Cedar City, Utah via DUATS but had not yet activated it.

The aircraft was loaded 3 pounds under the maximum gross weight. Preflight checks showed the engine, propeller, magnetos and flight controls to be operating normally. Doors were verified as closed. Trim was set in the white band marked on the trim indicator. I selected one notch (15 degrees) of flaps for the takeoff.

The ASOS reported gusting winds to be from the northwest and a temperature of 21 degrees, That gives a very high density altitude of about 8,400 feet. Normally-aspirated engines are dogs under such conditions.

At approximately 2100 UTC (1400 PDT) I took off on runway 33 at the Tonopah, Nevada airport. I rotated at 80 knots. Throughout the short flight, the engine was producing full power. No abnormalities were apparent until I was about 30 feet above the ground and climbing at about 100 mph. At that point, I was at least half-way down the runway and initiated retraction of the landing gear. The landing gear retracted at slightly different rates which caused momentary but noticeable yaw (typical for this aircraft). Simultaneously with the landing-gear-caused yaw, the left (pilot's) door popped open about 3-4" and I felt a loss of lift. The aircraft rolled to a right bank of about 30 degrees and pitched down about 20 degrees. I think that the loss of roll and pitch control resulted when I lost airspeed due to wind shear to a point above stall speed (the stall horn never sounded), but below the speed needed for left elevator control with the door ajar.

I tried to correct the un-commanded roll and pitch, but the aircraft struck the ground in a 20-degree nose-down attitude about 100-200 feet right of the runway approximately even with the runway's end. The wreckage was only about 50 feet from the initial point of impact, so the airplane and our bodies absorbed most of the kinetic energy on that first impact.

At the moment of impact, the engine was still producing full power and the flaps were still set at one notch. I was able to exit the aircraft after cutting my seatbelt and shoulder belt. My wife was unable to exit the aircraft because the structure had crushed in a way to wedge her legs between the rudders and her seat. She had to be removed by rescue workers who dismantled part of the aircraft to free her legs. Although there was the smell of fuel fumes, there was no post-crash fire. The gusty winds dissipated the fumes before they could reach a flammable concentration.

The gentleman from whom we had just bought fuel reported to the FAA that he heard me take off and that the engine sounded normal. He assumed that we were safely on our way. As mentioned previously, I had filed a flight plan, but had not yet activated it, so the flight following process would not have begun searching for us at our estimated arrival time at Cedar City. On top of that, our Emergency Locator Transmitter did not activate on impact as it should have. Were it not for our proximity to the airport, my possession of a cell phone, our being within cell phone coverage, and the fact that I was not incapacitated, we might have sat unrescued for many hours or even a few days.

As you can see from the photos below, the airplane was destroyed.

Front view. The north-west end of runway 33 is in the background. Here, one can see the backside of the instrument panel.
A closer look at the back of the instrument panel. That's a new prop spinner I had installed just after I got my baby in October 2006.
Phot taken from the direction of travel. That's the nose gear in the foreground. The main gear are in the wings. My wife was in the right front seat. Her legs were trapped between the rudder peddals and her seat.
No, Beechcraft did not install this cargo door on the right-hand side. I had this new dorsal fairing installed during this year's annual.
That tailcone is new. The fairing around the anti-collision light was installed during this year's annual.
This wing still contains 20 gallons of 100LL. The right wing had leaked dry by the next day whien this photo was taken. My door came open after takeoff.
A look into the cockpit. The plexiglass is scatered around the wreckage. Emergency personnel had to do a little demolition to get my wife out.
A look at the panel from the cargo area. I think I got the ragged cut on my left hand from the yoke slamming backward on impact.
There's my precious new GPS -- bought it on eBay! In the center of the screen, one can see the nose gear. To the right and on the near edge of the dirt road is the mark left by the initial impact of the nose.
My wife's injuries included a compound fracture of the right tibia and fibula (lower leg bones) and fractured/dislocated bones in the left foot, and a fractured sternum where the yoke hit her. My injuries were limited to bruises, a 12-stitch laceration on the left hand, a fracture in the left ankle, a dislocation in the shoulder, and my pride. We were very lucky to have survived. A couple of the people in the emergency room said that we were surrounded by angels. Of that, I am sure. But some of those angels included the members Tonopah's all-volunteer EMT team and fired department who took care of us at the crash scene and got us to the hospital. More mortal angels cared for our injuries in the Tonopah hospital and flew my wife to Las Vegas for care that Tonopah was unable to provide. After my wife's release from the hospital, still more angels (our neighbors) bought in home-cooked meals so I could focus on tending my wife.

Of course, I have gone over this accident in my mind a thousand times. All I can come up with is that I was unable to cope with a combination of factors which included high density altitude, high gross weight, wind shear, disruption of airflow over the wing and elevator due to the open door, the distraction of the open door, degraded performance due to the drag of the open door, and insufficient altitude to recover from the un-commanded pitch and roll.

The FAA/NTSB accident investigation revealed that my Beechcraft Sierras were the subject of a 1990 Beechcraft "Safety Communique" concerning cabin door operation/openings. The Communique states that an open cabin door does not change an airplane's flight characteristics. However, it does state that an aircraft's climb performance can be decreased up to 130 feet per minute from handbook values, and that the decrease in climb performance can be more significant at high density altitudes. The performance section of the Pilot's Operating Handbook indicates the airplane should climb at about 300 feet per minute at the gross weight we had on that day. Subtract from that a 130 feet-per-minute penalty for an open door and the airplane can be expect to climb, at best, 170 feet per minute. That's just not much performance to deal with wind shear a few feet above the surface.

With over 20,000 hours in my logbook with nary a scratch on an airplane, I can say I'm no rookie. Nevertheless, I got into a very serious situation that I could have avoided by waiting a few hours for cooler air and for the gusty winds to die down. I could have flown with a lighter fuel load (we only need a bit more than half the 40 gallons we had on board). My wife and I could have traveled with a bit less luggage. I could have checked the security of that door one more time.

It's a hard-learned lesson about heavy-weight operations at high density altitudes with gusty winds. If everything else goes well, you'll probably get away with it. But, there is no margin for anything to go wrong. And it did. And there are no do-overs.

"Young man, was that a landing or were we shot down?" -- Elderly woman's challenge to an airline pilot

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Index to Aviation Web Page



Selected Readings

Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook


Student Pilot's Flight Manual
Student Pilot's Flight Manual


Student Pilot Guide
Student Pilot Guide


Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying
Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying


Airplane Flying Handbook: FAA-H-8083-3a
Airplane Flying Handbook: FAA-H-8083-3a


Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge


Plane Sense: General Aviation Information
Plane Sense: General Aviation Information


ASA Flight Training Syllabus - Private Pilot
ASA Flight Training Syllabus - Private Pilot


Private Pilot Practical Test Standards for Airplane Single-Engine Land and Sea
Private Pilot Practical Test Standards for Airplane Single-Engine Land and Sea


Instrument Rating Practical Test Standards for Airplane, Helicopter & Powered Lift
Instrument Rating Practical Test Standards for Airplane, Helicopter & Powered Lift


Commercial Pilot Practical Test Standards for Airplane Single- and Multi-Engine Land and Sea
Commercial Pilot Practical Test Standards for Airplane Single- and Multi-Engine Land and Sea


Flight Instructor Practical Test Standards for Airplane Single-Engine Land and Sea
Flight Instructor Practical Test Standards for Airplane Single-Engine Land and Sea


FAR/AIM: Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual
FAR/AIM: Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual


Aviation Weather
Aviation Weather


Aviation Weather Services
Aviation Weather Services


Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual
Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual


Aviation Instructor's Handbook
Aviation Instructor's Handbook


The Flight Instructor's Manual
The Flight Instructor's Manual


The Savvy Flight Instructor: Secrets of the Successful CFI
The Savvy Flight Instructor: Secrets of the Successful CFI


The $100 Hamburger: A Guide to Pilots' Favorite Fly-In Restaurants
The $100 Hamburger: A Guide to Pilots' Favorite Fly-In Restaurants


Becoming an Airline Pilot
Becoming an Airline Pilot


Professional Pilot Career Guide
Professional Pilot Career Guide


Checklist for Success: A Pilot's Guide to Successful Airline Interview
Checklist for Success: A Pilot's Guide to Successful Airline Interview


Flight Guide for Success: Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot
Flight Guide for Success: Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot


The Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck: Bluff Your Way on the Flight Deck
The Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck: Bluff Your Way on the Flight Deck


In Control: How to Fly a 747
In Control: How to Fly a 747


Boeing 747: Design and Evolution since 1969
Boeing 747: Design and Evolution since 1969


General Aviation Law
General Aviation Law


Airplane Ownership
Airplane Ownership


Aircraft Ownership: A Legal and Tax Guide
Aircraft Ownership: A Legal and Tax Guide


Buying and Owning Your Own Airplane
Buying and Owning Your Own Airplane


Illustrated Buyer's Guide to Used Airplanes
Illustrated Buyer's Guide to Used Airplanes


Airplane Maintenance and Repair: A Manual for Owners, Builders, Technicians, and Pilots
Airplane Maintenance and Repair: A Manual for Owners, Builders, Technicians, and Pilots


The Rand McNally Captain's Atlas Pilot Briefing Map
Rand McNally Captain's Atlas Pilot Briefing Map
Flight Crewmember Log and Expense Log
AeroLog Pilot's Pocket-size Logbook
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot



Flying Magazine



Plane & Pilot Magazine



Today's Pilot Magazine



Sport Aviation Magazine



Professional Pilot Magazine



Air Line Pilot Magazine



Flying the line: The first half century of the Air Line Pilots Association



Airline Labor Law: The Railway Labor Act and Aviation After Deregulation


Confessions of a Union Buster
Confessions of a Union Buster



The Legal Rights of Union Stewards



Organizing to Win: New Research on Union Strategies


Why Unions Matter
Why Unions Matter



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