Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Beaumont, Kansas, June 13, 2002
On June 13, 2002 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N38709, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beaumont, Kansas (Beaumont Hotel airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his failure to abort the takeoff when he realized the aircraft was not accelerating as expected. The wet and muddy turf runway was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 2002 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Beaumont, Kansas · Beaumont Hotel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N38709 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7780463
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged following an impact with trees on takeoff from a wet and muddy grass airstrip. The pilot stated that it had rained the day and night before the accident. The pilot reported that the airplane did not reach rotation speed by the end of the runway and that he should have aborted takeoff after realizing the aircraft was too slow for liftoff. No anomolies with respect to the airframe, powerplant, or systems were determined to have existed prior to impact.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 606 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 481 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 173.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-KI-G50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SN07 Beaumont KS at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 13K Eureka KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,400 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from AAO, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.