| Crash location | 32.284444°N, 106.917500°W |
| Nearest city | Las Cruces, NM
32.312316°N, 106.778337°W 8.4 miles away |
| Tail number | N8921M |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 06 Aug 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 337F |
| Additional details: | None |
On August 6, 2003, approximately 0645 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 337F, N8921M, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during take-off at Las Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico. The airline transport certificated pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The planned cross-country flight to El Paso, Texas, was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight originated from Las Cruces, New Mexico, at 0630 .
According to the pilot, he was performing a touch-and-go landing on runway 12. After touchdown, he retracted the flaps, added full power to both engines and "observed 75 mph" on the airspeed indicator. He "lifted the nose wheel" and the airplane pitched up "suddenly" and became airborne. The pilot attempted to maintain runway alignment. The airplane veered left and settled to the ground, coming to rest between runway 04-22 and taxiway Delta. The pilot said the airplane "failed to stay airborne [due to] insufficient power" from the rear engine.
An examination of the airplane at the accident site showed the left wing bent down approximately 3 feet inboard from the wing tip. The right wing was bent upward approximately 2 feet inboard from the wing tip. The bottom portion of the right vertical stabilizer was crushed upward and aft, and the main landing gear were broken aft.
The engines were examined at the manufacturer on March 15-16, 2004. Both engines experienced normal starts on the first attempts and were run through throttle settings of 1,200, 1,600, 2,450, and 2,800 RPM (full throttle). The engines were then cycled from idle power (650 RPM) to full power, 6 times in succession. In each cycle, the engine "performed normally without any hesitation, stumbling, or interruption in power." No other anomalies were found in any of the other airplane systems.
Lack of adequate power from the rear engine for undetermined reasons and the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during take-off. A contributing factor to the accident was the low altitude.