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CEN13CA469

2013-08-05 · Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MCD

Current FAA registration · N3559E

Make / Model
CESSNA 182T
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3FAF8

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's delayed response to abort the takeoff, which resulted in an excursion and collision with a fence. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to check the pitot tube for debris during preflight.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll the airplane visually appeared and felt to be accelerating normally, but the airspeed indicator never increased above 40 knots. The pilot aborted the takeoff when the airplane was halfway down the runway. The pilot said he used brakes to decelerate but the airplane was skidding on the wet runway. The pilot was unable to stop and went off the runway and collided with a wood fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the right elevator. Examination of the airplane found the pitot tube was filled with debris. According to the operator, the airplane was not equipped with a pitot tube cover. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll the airplane visually appeared and felt to be accelerating normally, but the airspeed indicator never increased above 40 knots. The pilot aborted the takeoff when the airplane was halfway down the runway. The pilot said he used brakes to decelerate but the airplane was skidding on the wet runway. The pilot was unable to stop and went off the runway and collided with a wood fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the right elevator. Examination of the airplane found the pitot tube was filled with debris. According to the operator, the airplane was not equipped with a pitot tube cover. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-(general)-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_CEN13CA469.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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