Beech King Air 200, Bay View, Texas, Dec. 10, 2004–Losing control during takeoff from the Rancho Buena Vista Airport, the Charter One King Air crashed into trees. The 5,800-hour ATP-rated pilot said that at 95 knots, “the airplane yawed left and rolled left abruptly as the aircraft came off the ground briefly.” He applied full right rudder and leveled the wings as he lowered the nose slightly and the airplane settled back onto the ground, approximately 20 degrees left of the runway heading.
Seeing trees ahead, the pilot decided that he couldn’t stop and “applied back pressure” to clear the trees. The gear struck the tree tops, and “the airplane stalled and came down in the tall grass, sliding sideways.” The aircraft was destroyed, but the pilot and five passengers were uninjured.
One of the passengers the Board interviewed said, “The pilot tried to lift off three times,” and “it felt like the tail of the airplane hit the ground on the third try.” He recalled the pilot saying he took off at “80 knots.”