NTSB Says Airspeed Insufficient For Takeoff

South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer, who survived a dicey takeoff accident last year, is suing three companies that worked on his Mooney M20E's engine before the accident.

As ANN reported, Bauer and his passenger, John Leonhardt -- who is also a plaintiff in the suit -- were hospitalized for several days following the May 23, 2006 takeoff accident. Both men sustained lower extremity injuries when the plane went off the runway during takeoff from a private airstrip near Blacksburg, SC.

The Associated Press reports the lawsuit names three companies as defendants -- America's Aircraft Engines in Collins, OK; J&J Air Parts of Pleasanton, TX; and Aircraft Maintenance Services in Camden, NJ. The suit claims all three were negligent in their maintenance of the Mooney's Lycoming IO-360 powerplant, and the accident was caused by "the failure of the engine and its components that had recently been negligently inspected, repaired and overhauled."

According to the National Transportation and Safety Board's probable cause report on the accident, Bauer reported he was "halfway down the runway" when he noticed his airspeed was only 45 knots. He decided to continue the takeoff because he didn't think there was sufficient runway remaining to abort. Leonhardt told the Board he "observed the engine rpm decrease to 2400 rpm or less during the takeoff roll."

At the end of the runway, Bauer (shown at right) said he "applied aft pressure on the control yoke and the airplane became airborne." After retracting the landing gear, the airplane rolled right and the nose pitched down before impacting trees and power lines.

The NTSB investigated Leonhardt's assertion the Mooney's recently overhauled engine faltered at a point during the takeoff, making an abort impossible. The NTSB found bolts missing from one cylinder's induction tube, but testing by Lycoming found such an induction leak wouldn't degrade the performance of an IO-360 engine -- like the one installed in Bauer's Mooney -- running at full throttle. Investigators were unable to find any other mechanical faults with the engine which might have reduced its performance.

In spite of the NTSB's investigation, Leonhardt maintains his assertion the crash was a direct result of degraded engine performance. "Only the two men who were in the plane when the engine faltered and the RPMs decreased can make a truly accurate assessment of the emergency," he said earlier this year. "Aborting takeoff was not an option at the point of the RPM decrease."

A monetary amount isn't specified, but Bauer contends both men suffered severe and permanent injuries and emotional distress.

FMI: www.state.sc.us/ltgov, www.ntsb.gov