Sedona

Several witnesses observed the airplane before and during its takeoff roll on the morning of the accident. One witness observed the airplane for the entire event and stated that the run-up of the engines sounded normal. During the takeoff roll, the acceleration of the airplane appeared a little slower but the engines continued to sound normal. Directional control was maintained, and at midfield, the airplane had still not rotated. As the airplane continued down the 5,132-foot-long runway, it did not appear to be accelerating, and, about 100 yards from the end of the runway, it appeared that it was not going to stop. The airplane maintained contact with the runway and turned slightly right before it overran the end of the runway. The airplane was subsequently destroyed by impact forces and a postaccident fire. The wreckage was located at the bottom of a deep gully off the end of the runway. Postaccident examination of the area at the end of the runway revealed two distinct tire tracks, both of which crossed the asphalt and dirt overrun of 175 feet. A review of the airplane's weight and balance and performance data revealed that it was within its maximum gross takeoff weight and center of gravity limits. At the time of the accident, the density altitude was calculated to be 7,100 feet; the airport's elevation is 4,830 feet. For the weight of the airplane and density altitude at the time of the accident, it should have lifted off 2,805 feet down the runway; the distance to accelerate to takeoff speed and then to safely abort the takeoff and stop the airplane was calculated to be 4,900 feet. It is unknown whether the pilot completed performance calculations accounting for the density altitude. All flight control components were accounted for at the accident site. Although three witnesses indicated that the engines did not sound right at some point during the runup or takeoff, examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Propeller signatures were consistent with rotational forces being applied at the time of impact. No conclusive evidence was found to explain why the airplane did not rotate or why the pilot did not abort the takeoff once reaching the point to safely stop the airplane.

Following an uneventful flight, the flight crew briefed the arrival to the destination airport and set the calculated landing speeds. The captain and the first officer reported that during final approach, it felt like the airplane was “pushed up” as the wind shifted to a tailwind or updraft before landing near the runway number markings. Upon touchdown, the captain applied the brakes and thought that the initial braking was effective; however, he noticed the airplane was not slowing down. The captain applied maximum braking, and the airplane began to veer to the right; he was able to correct back to the runway centerline, but the airplane subsequently exited the departure end of the runway and traveled down a steep embankment. A pilot-rated passenger reported that throughout the approach to landing, he thought the airplane was high and thought that the excessive altitude continued through and into the base-to-final turn. He added that the bank angle of this turn seemed greater than 45 degrees. Recorded communication from the cockpit voice and data recorder (CVDR) revealed that during the approach to landing, the flight crew performed the landing checks, and the captain noted difficulty judging the approach. About 1 minute later, the recording revealed that the ground warning proximity system reported “five hundred” followed by a “sink rate, pull up” alert about 16 seconds later. Data from the CVDR revealed that about 23 seconds before weight-on-wheels was recorded, the airplane was at an indicated airspeed of about 124 knots and descending. The data showed that this approximate airspeed was maintained until about 3 seconds before weight-on-wheels. The recorded data further showed that the approach speed was set to 120 knots, and the landing reference speed (vREF) was set to 97 knots. Using the reported airplane configuration and the 3.5-knot headwind that was reported at the time of the approach and landing, calculations indicate that the vREF speed should have been about 101 knots indicated airspeed, which would have required a landing distance of about 3,112 feet. Utilizing the same airplane configuration and wind condition with the flight’s reported 124 knot indicated airspeed just before touchdown, the landing distance was calculated to be about 5,624 feet. The intended runway for landing was 5,132-feet long with a 1.9 percent downward slope gradient, and a 123-foot long overrun area. A postaccident examination of the airplane, including the braking system, revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot misjudged the airplane’s speed during the final approach, which resulted in runway overrun.

During arrival, the pilot contacted Sedona unicom and was advised that runway 21 was in use and that the winds were gusting to 25 knots. He reported that turbulence was strong thru-out the traffic pattern. Full flaps were lowered on final approach. A strong downdraft was encountered on final approach and power was increased 'to maintain vasi and vref.' Turbulence and a downdraft were reported to be exceptionally strong over the threshold. The pilot stated the aircraft touched down on all three gear, then it pitched up and began to porpoise with increasing amplitude. On the 2nd touchdown, power was applied, but the engine needed 5 to 7 seconds to spool up. The pilot said that after the aircraft porpoise three times, it was in a stall from which it would not recover. Subsequently, it went off the right side of the runway, crossed a parallel taxiway and entered a wooded area before stopping. No mechanical problem of the aircraft was reported that would have resulted in the accident.

The left engine lost power just after takeoff. With the gear and flaps retracted and the left propeller feathered, the airplane would climb slightly. As it passed over green fields, the airplane started a descent. The airplane touched down in a cotton field and the left tip tank burst into flames as it touched the ground. The airplane was consumed by fire. Engine teardown revealed the number three exhaust valve failed. Elevation of the accident was 1,600 feet mst, OAT was 114° F. Density altitude was approximately 5,600 feet.

On final approach about 1.5 miles from the airport the power loss occurred as the pilot attempted to add power. After flying over a ridge and several trees the aircraft touched down in the rough terrain and caught fire. The fire appeared to have started in the vicinity of the fuel strainer and progressed rearward. There were no indications of fire until the aircraft came to rest. The only discrepancy noted during inspection of the aircraft and engine was that 3 left bank fuel injectors were blocked with a substance later identified as primarily being dirt. Both occupants escaped unhurt.

The aircraft was performing a flight from Washington DC to Downey, California. After departing Winslow, Arizona, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions due to blizzard. He lost control of the airplane that crashed on the slope of Mt Wilson located in the region of Sedona. The pilot was Gerard Freebairn Vultee, an American aviation pioneer, and the passenger was his wife Sylvia Parker, daughter of Twentieth Century Fox film director Max Parker.