The pilot of the de Havilland DHC-2 reported that he was attempting to depart a 1,000-foot-long pasture near Gilbert, South Carolina.
He forgot to position the flaps to takeoff setting and by the time he realized the error, it was too late to reject the takeoff.
He attempted to clear trees at the end of the pasture with the flaps retracted, but the airplane hit the trees and came to rest upright.
Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing.
The pilot added that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper flap setting, which resulted in a collision with trees during a takeoff attempt from a short grass field.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This February 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Bad decision making is the biggest cause of all accidents, and these decisions are all caused by the person piloting the airplane,,,,, How do you fix this ??? If we could fix this, we would have no accidents, other than mechanical ???
I use my iPad ForeFlight check list on the “speak” mode.
I have customized/ edit my check list to fit my plane.
Last item added before take off, check fuel tank in use and fuel gauge are the same.
Know before you go!
I like what I read once: “Don’t judge, learn.” In other words, learn from the accident reports instead of judging the pilots, saying they were stupid, etc. Like what reports? Like: Richard McSpadden’s fatal crash–the engine quit once when taxiing out. Maybe I should make darn sure my engine is “good” before taking off. Dale Snodgrass’s crash–he left the control lock in, took off. Maybe I should triple-check the cockpit before taking off–the fuel selector, the ignition switch, the trim, the flaps, etc.
If guys like this can crash, I’m sure a guy like me can.
I really like what you are saying here – 100% agree!
Novel approach to flying: pre-flight checklist. Pass the word.
Regards/J
I’m a North-of-60…but still very eager to learn…ATP-CFI-CFII-MEI, float-rated, taildragger-flying, retired USAF F-15C and B-1B instructor & evaluator pilot; also a former AOPA Air Safety Institute instructor, friend & colleague of Richard McSpadden.
You would think I should know better by now!
Yet, unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I still do “stupid” things, unintentionally, once in a while.
I look forward to any meaningful advice you can share with me.
Respectfully,
Tom Curran
So, more ‘stupid pilot tricks’.!!
The POH indicates that a takeoff from pavement with ‘takeoff’ flaps.[ no listing for the no. of degrees], is 1,250 ft.
Then add 15% for a grass runway, and it’s now 1,430 ft.
So, taking off form a 1,000 ft strip with 15 ft trees at the departure end is a bit risky/stupid.
Got a question, which may change your mind.
What would have happened had he immediately put in 1 or 2 notches of flaps at or just before rotation?
I have done this with low wing aircraft with a Johnson bar, and the effect is you gain about 30′ of altitude quickly and can continue to climb. This is good for being at MTOW departing from a constrained (short) field.
I do not recommend this for low time pilots until you have practiced it using a paved runway so you know what the effect is with the plane you are flying. It is good to know for when you go into constrained runways on, say, an island in lake Erie.
From the POH, the flaps are hydraulically operated with a hand pump lever and a direction selector lever, both at the lower right side of the pilot seat.
I imagine that it would take more than a few seconds to ‘select’ and then operate the hand pump lever, and remember how many pumps of the handle it takes to get to the ‘take off’ flaps position.
I have a johnson bar flaps on my 1961 Cessna and they can be deployed in a few seconds, or less.!
Thanks for that answer. Just what I was afraid of. And so, no you can’t add flaps rapidly with this bird.
Typically POH performance numbers are at gross weight, standard day. Significantly better performance can be achieved at lower weights/lower density altitudes.