RAWLINS, WY, USA
N2337W
Beech A23A
As the pilot approached Rawlins, Wyoming, he tried contacting the airport on UNICOM several times but without success. He circled the airport several times looking for the wind sock but did not see one. He then decided to land on 'the upslope runway [10].' Halfway down the runway, the pilot applied brakes and then realized the airplane could not be stopped before reaching the end of the runway. He aborted the landing. During the climbout, the airplane struck a fence 100 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. It then struck the ground and slid another 100 feet. Winds recorded at Rawlins at 1250, 10 minutes after the accident, were from 250 degrees at 25 knots. Landing on runway 10 presented a 30 degree right quartering tailwind with a component approximately 23 knots. Density altitude was computed to be 7,157 feet msl, and the maximum expected rate of climb was computed to be 345 feet per minute.
On March 13, 2000, approximately 1240 mountain standard time, a Beech A23A, N2337W, was substantially damaged when it struck a fence during initial climb following an aborted landing at Rawlins Municipal Airport, Rawlins, Wyoming. The private pilot, the only occupant aboard, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Grand Junction, Colorado, at an undetermined time. According to the pilot's accident report, he departed Grand Junction and was en route to Casper, Wyoming, with a refueling stop at Rawlins. As he approached Rawlins, he tried contacting the airport on UNICOM frequency 123.0 mHz several times but without success. He circled the airport several times looking for the wind sock but did not see one. He then decided to land on "the upslope runway [10]." The pilot said "everything [was] normal until the touch down." Halfway down the runway he applied brakes and then realized the airplane could not be stopped before reaching the end of the runway. He aborted the landing. During the climbout, the airplane struck a fence 100 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. It then struck the ground and slid another 100 feet. The landing gear was sheared off, and the airframe was buckled. According to FAA's Airport Facility Directory, a runway gradient is not listed for runway 10. The Directory does list a 1% uphill gradient for runway 04-22. Winds recorded at Rawlins at 1250, 10 minutes after the accident, were from 250 degrees at 25 knots. Landing on runway 10 would present a 30 degree right quartering tailwind with a component approximately 23 knots. Density altitude was computed to be 7,157 feet msl. According to the Beech Aircraft Corporation, the maximum rate of climb that could be expected is 345 feet per minute. Although the pilot said he departed Grand Junction at 1000 and the accident occurred at 1400, FAA's regional operations center in Seattle notified NTSB's Denver field office of the accident at 1348, and reported the accident had occurred at 1240.
The pilot's failure to abort the landing in a timely manner. Factors were the tailwind and high density altitude, resulting in inadequate climb performance.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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