May Also Have Been Overloaded

From the NTSB:

On August 3, 2004, at 1159 central daylight time, an Aerostar PA-60-601P twin-engine airplane, N601BV, was destroyed shortly after take off from Runway 16 (a 3,930- foot-long and 70-foot-wide asphalt runway) at Lakeway Airpark (3R9), Austin, Texas. The commercial pilot and five passengers (three adults and two children) sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Aviation Flight Standards, LLC, Wilmington, Delaware. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Lakeway, about 1158, and was destined for Wylie Post Airport (PWA), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the business flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

A relative of four of the passengers onboard the airplane stated that the pilot, a passenger and his brother-in-law landed at Lakeway Airport about 1030. They had flown in to pick-up his sister-in-law, niece and nephew, who had been visiting him for the past week. Prior to departure, the relative observed the passenger fuel the airplane and place "a lot" of luggage, including two car seats and four overhead-sized pieces of luggage in the back of the airplane. The pilot sat in the front left seat, the passenger sat in the front right seat, his brother-in-law sat in the middle seat, and his sister-in-law, niece and nephew sat in the aft seats. After the airplane was loaded, both engines were started, and the airplane taxied to the runway and started the take off roll. As the airplane traveled down the runway, the relative got concerned because it seemed to take "too long" to take off, and he thought that the airplane should have become airborne a lot sooner. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, it became airborne. However, it did not climb and appeared to be "floating." It then veered to the left, and "dove" quickly toward the ground.

A second witness arrived at Lakeway Airport about 1145 to pick up her father who was flying in from Dallas, Texas. While she was waiting, she purchased a soda from the soda machine, and saw a twin engine airplane at the fuel pump. The witness noted two men, a woman, and a toddler at the picnic table located near the soda machine, and another man was fueling the airplane and loading the luggage. One of the men at the picnic table said, "Well, we're about ready to go." The witness grabbed her drink, and relocated to a covered hangar located at the end of the parking lot. The witness said she did not know how many people boarded the airplane, but did notice "a lot" of luggage and a car seat being loaded into the airplane. The airplane taxied to the end of the runway and did an engine run-up. She said, "The plane then came down the runway, as it passed, I was thinking the plane should be ready to lift-off and that it sounded "awful quiet." It continued down the runway which looked to be almost at the end of the runway. It did not seem to have enough power to lift into the air. It just seemed to skim the trees and make a left bank turn, it looked as if it just headed straight down left wing and nose dive to the ground."

A third witness was also at Lakeway Airport and observed the airplane's take off roll. He said that his first thought was that the airplane should have been airborne a lot sooner, and his second thought was that it was "too quiet." The airplane used up "every bit of runway." As it became airborne, the airplane clipped the trees at the far end of the runway and had trouble gaining altitude and level flight. Shortly after, the airplane "tipped stalled" and flew into the ground, followed by a loud explosion.

A fourth witness, a pilot, was in his home located near the airport and was monitoring the airport's UNICOM frequency. He heard the pilot announce the registration of the airplane, followed by his intentions to depart Runway 16 at Lakeway Airport. Shortly after, the witness heard the pilot abruptly say, "Oh God! I'm in trouble...three with me..." The witness ran to his front yard, and observed the airplane in a nose dive.

A fifth witness, a former flight instructor and twin-engine rated pilot, was on a golf course adjacent to the accident site when he heard an airplane approaching from the north. He looked up and observed the airplane veering to the left in level flight about 500 feet above ground level (agl). He said it was yawing back-and-forth, the wings were "dipping" up and down, and the landing gear were retracted. The engines sounded as if they were at full power. Then, the airplane made a steep left bank, rolled inverted, and nose dived into the back porch of a home. The witness said that when the airplane rolled inverted, it sounded as if both engines were instantaneously "shut-off."

A sixth witness was also located on the golf course when he heard the airplane. The witness described the engine noise as "extreme" and it interrupted his golf putt. When he looked up the airplane was banking to the left, almost inverted, as it descended behind trees. The witness then saw black smoke and a fire explosion. He said there was no noise from the engines just prior to the explosion.

A seventh witness was working outside when he heard "a loud engine of some kind suddenly stop." He looked up and saw a small airplane flying low and then begin to nose dive towards the golf course. A few moments later he heard an explosion.

An on-scene examination of the wreckage was conducted on August 3-4, 2004. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the site. The airplane impacted an approximately 5-foot-high concrete retaining wall that supported the back patio of a private residence. The post-impact fire consumed the airplane and the back of the home sustained fire damage. The wreckage came to rest at an elevation of approximately 900 feet mean sea level (msl), about 1.1 nautical miles from Lakeway Airport.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first class medical was issued on June 1, 2004. At that time he reported a total of 3,500 flight hours.

Weather reported at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas, about 16 nautical miles east of Lakeway Airport, at 1153, was wind from 160 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet and 15,000 feet, temperature 90 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.96 inches of Mercury. The density altitude was approximately 3,000 feet msl.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov