Beechcraft 23 N2339J

Summary

On 18 October 2015 at about 12:45 local time, a Beechcraft 23 registered N2339J, operated by Old School Aircraft LLC, was involved in an accident near Humboldt, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2015 at 12:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Humboldt, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Humboldt Muni (M53)

Coordinates

35.8022, -88.8644

Aircraft

Beechcraft 23

Registration

N2339J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Old School Aircraft LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Humboldt → Humboldt

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA019

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to low No. 2 cylinder compression and an inoperative right magneto.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot and flight instructor reported that ground operations were normal. During the initial climb, when the airplane was about 950 ft above ground level, the engine lost partial power. Unable to return to the departure airport, the flight instructor performed a forced landing in a field. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 cylinder only produced minimal compression and that the intake valve would not seat fully due to carbon deposits. The No. 2 cylinder exhaust pipe flange was separated from the cylinder exhaust seat face by about 0.25 inch on the outer left side, and the stud was missing the nut and both washers. One of the spark plugs had lead deposits and produced a weak spark when tested. Also, the right magneto was inoperative; the permanent magnet breaker end bearing had failed, and six teeth were missing from the large distributor timing gear. The partial loss of engine power was likely the result of both the low No. 2 cylinder compression and an inoperative right magneto.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.