Event ANC23LA009

Factual narrative

On December 15, 2022, about 1205 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time, a Beech 77 airplane, N991AB, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at Lihue Airport (PHLI), Lihue, Hawaii. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that he conducted a preflight inspection and an engine run-up with no anomalies noted. The airplane departed from runway 21 at PHLI. The automatic terminal information service (ATIS) information reported that the wind was from 170° at 12 knots, the tower assigned him runway 21 and not runway 17. During climbout, when the airplane was about 100 to 200 ft above ground level (agl), the airplane stopped climbing. The pilot noted no change in engine noise and reported that all cockpit indications were normal except for the vertical speed indicator, which was moving between 0 and 100 ft per minute and possibly below zero. Toward the end of the runway, the airplane stalled, descended, and impacted a fence at the edge of the airport property. The airplane came to rest just past the airport fence into a storage yard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. In the NTSB Pilot/Operator Accident Report (Form 6120.1), the pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was equipped with a JPI-700 engine data monitor. The data revealed engine exhaust gas temperatures and cylinder head temperatures were increasing throughout the flight with no signs of decreasing temperatures. A review of the Airport Facility Directory information for PHLI indicated no warning or notices for any potential turbulence or wind shear conditions for departures on runway 21. A review of the topography indicated an east-to-west ridge that rises to about 2,297 ft about 4 miles southwest of the centerline of runway 21; the ridge could produce downdraft conditions with strong southerly low-level wind on the departure path for runway 21. Departures on runway 17 at PHLI would not result in any turbulence or downdrafts because there is no terrain directly south of the airport. A pilot for a commercial operator departed from runway 21 about 20 minutes before the accident airplane. This pilot reported that his airplane was “always” at or above 800 ft agl at the end of the runway; on this departure, the airplane was only at 300 ft agl. The pilot also reported that downdrafts from the mountain (when using runway 21) are not detected by airport wind sensors. In addition, this pilot reported that company pilots are now required to use runway 17 and avoid runway 21. The pilot reported that, during departure, he could not climb the airplane, which stalled toward the end of the runway and descended into terrain at the edge of the airport property, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and fuselage. The pilot of a commercial airplane that departed shortly before the accident airplane reported poor climb performance during departure. A review of the topography for the runway that was used for both takeoffs indicated the possibility of downdraft conditions on the departure path of the runway. It is likely that the airplane encountered a downdraft during departure that exceeded the climb capability of the airplane and resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack, entering an aerodynamic stall, and descending into terrain. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Downdraft-Awareness of condition
• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Climb capability-Capability exceeded