Beechcraft C24R N5293M

Summary

On 22 December 2010 at about 20:46 local time, a Beechcraft C24R registered N5293M was involved in an accident near Wheeling, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 December 2010 at 20:46

Classification

Accident

Location

Wheeling, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Chicago Executive (PWK)

Coordinates

42.1258, -87.9122

Aircraft

Beechcraft C24R

Registration

N5293M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wheeling → Schaumburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11FA125

1 person died.

The installation of the wrong engine-driven fuel pump, which resulted in a loss of engine power during takeoff, and the pilot's subsequent decision to turn back toward the airport at an insufficient altitude to complete the maneuver. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the engine operated normally during the three pretakeoff run-ups that he performed. He stated that, after takeoff, the airplane began to sink, and he retracted the flaps at an altitude of about 200 feet above ground level. He turned the airplane back toward the airport, at which time the engine began to vibrate and lose power. The pilot leveled the wings, and the airplane contacted the roof of a building before descending into a parking lot where it struck five cars, and a postimpact fire ensued. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane having difficulty gaining altitude after takeoff. They reported that the airplane was in a nose-high attitude and that the wings were rocking back and forth. They stated that the airplane banked abruptly to the left and descended, that the landing gear remained extended, and that the flaps were retracted. The witnesses who heard the engine stated that it sounded normal during the takeoff. The engine had been overhauled and the airplane had been flown for 1 hour prior to the accident. The person who flew the airplane at that time stated it operated normally. Although a postaccident examination found foreign debris inside the fuel servo inlet strainer, the debris was most likely a result of the fuel servo being exposed to intense heat during the postimpact fire. All three propeller blades exhibited rotational signatures. Aircraft maintenance records and an inspection of the engine revealed that a low-pressure fuel pump had been installed on the engine during the engine overhaul instead of a high pressure pump. The low-pressure pump likely could not produce enough fuel pressure to sustain engine operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.