Hawker Beechcraft CORP G36 accident near Edgartown, Massachusetts, September 8, 2013
On September 8, 2013 at about 6:45 pm local time, a 2008 Hawker Beechcraft CORP G36, registered N771WG, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Edgartown, Massachusetts (Katama Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to achieve a proper takeoff profile prior to raising the landing gear resulting in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2013 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Edgartown, Massachusetts · Katama Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hawker Beechcraft CORP G36 NO SERIES, built 2008
- Registration
- N771WG · registry record · serial E-3835
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he utilized the checklist and set elevator trim to "almost neutral" with one notch of flaps for departure. During the takeoff roll, the pilot felt that the airplane wanted to lift off earlier than he was accustomed and he had to hold the nose down. When the pilot finally rotated the nose, the airplane "jumped up quicker than normal" and he kept the nose down. After the airplane began to increase airspeed and climb, the pilot raised the landing gear. The pilot then felt a gust of wind, and the airplane drifted to the left. The pilot corrected the airplane back to the runway heading, but it then began to descend. He pulled the power back and landed the airplane gear up on the grass airstrip, resulting in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported no preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported the wind as being from 20 degrees to the right of the runway at 14, gusting to 22 knots. According to a representative of the airplane manufacturer, landing gear retraction takes 3 to 6 seconds, and during the process, movement of the inboard landing gear doors creates additional parasitic drag. He also noted that in previous cases, pilots have taken off at lower airspeeds than normal then retracted the landing gear, which resulted in the airplane's settling back down to the surface instead of climbing.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of lift during takeoff defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Climb capability › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action sequence › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 485.7 hours in all; 166.3 in this make and model; 42.5 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 378.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 7, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 487 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 24, 2012; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-B (piston); 472 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1B2 Edgartown MA at 6:45 pm
- Destination: HFD Hartford CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,700 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KMVY, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
