Event CEN17LA123

Factual narrative

On January 23, 2017, about 1900 mountain standard time, a Beechcraft C99, N216CS, was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during takeoff at Durango La-Plata County Airport (DRO), Durango, Colorado. The two pilots on board were not injured. The airplane was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 cargo flight. The flight crew had landed an hour earlier and while they waited for cargo to be loaded and their block time out they watched as trucks worked on the runway and taxiways to remove the snow. They listened to airport weather, deiced the airplane, and taxied to the runway for takeoff. The flight crew waited as another regional jet landed and cleared the runway. The captain of that jet reported on the common traffic advisory frequency that the braking action was nil and cautioned the accident flight crew to be careful as the runway was slick. As the flight crew taxied onto the runway, the pilot flying reported the wind was 40 degrees right of runway heading at 10 knots with no gusts and the runway was slick. On takeoff roll passing 60 kts, the pilot noticed a rising crosswind but was able to maintain centerline. Passing 80 kts the flight crew lost the ability to maintain centerline with full right aileron deflection. The pilot attempted to rotate and lift off but the airplane went into deep snow on the side of the runway. The pilot then reduced power to idle before going off the runway. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and the nose wheel collapsed. The airplane came to rest about 66 feet off the left side of runway 21 and 2,800 ft from the departure end. Postaccident examination of the airplane showed aft crushing to the nose radome and skin wrinkling on the underside of the fuselage around the nose landing gear well. Both engines sustained damage beyond repair. The flight crew reported no preimpact anomalies that contributed to the accident. A NOTAM issued at 1842, reported the center 100 ft of the runway had been plowed and broom swept and that the entire runway surface was covered with 1/8 in. dry snow. The flight crew was departing the airport in winter weather conditions. The flight crew taxied to the runway and waited as another regional jet landed and cleared the runway. The captain of that jet reported on the common traffic advisory frequency that the braking action was nil and cautioned the accident flight crew to be careful because the runway was slick. The pilot flying reported that, as they taxied onto the runway, the wind was 40° right of runway heading at 10 kts with no gusts and the runway was slick. As the airplane was on the takeoff roll passing 60 kts, the pilot noticed a rising crosswind but maintained centerline. When the airplane was passing 80 kts, the flight crew was unable to maintain the airplane's track on the centerline with full right aileron deflection. The pilot attempted to rotate and lift off, but the airplane went into deep snow on the side of the runway. The pilot then reduced power to idle before going off the left side of the runway; the nose wheel collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the nose of the airplane and both engines. The flight crew reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. 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).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered surface-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Contributed to outcome - C