Beechcraft 95-B55 (T42A) N101DC

Summary

On 3 November 2022 at about 22:55 local time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 (T42A) registered N101DC, operated by Innovative Scientific Solutions LLC, was involved in an accident near Athens, Georgia, United States. One person was 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

3 November 2022 at 22:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Athens, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Athens/Ben Epps (AHN)

Coordinates

33.9492, -83.3241

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95-B55 (T42A)

Registration

N101DC

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

2

Operator

Innovative Scientific Solutions LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montgomery → Greenville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA23LA064

Nobody was injured.

The operator’s and the pilot’s continued operation of the airplane with a known electrical problem, resulting in a loss of electrical power and a gear-up landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was at 7,000 ft mean sea level (msl), in cruise flight, when he noticed electrical problems with the airplane. Night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed. He recalled that some of the displays on his navigation system were not functioning, he was hearing air traffic control (ATC) only intermittently, and his transponder was not operating normally. He contacted ATC and was given directions to a nearby airport. As he set up for an approach, he perceived that his engines were losing power and he needed full throttle to maintain safe airspeed. He could not read the engine instruments since it was dark and assumed a loss of engine power based on his tablet computer’s display. He attempted to lower the landing gear with the manual extension handcrank; however, he had difficulty accessing the handcrank and moving it. After landing, the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway with the landing gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage to the lower fuselage.  The manual extension handcrank was used to lower the landing gear after the accident and it operated in a normal manner. After charging the aircraft battery, the engines were started and ran up to 2,100 rpm each. Troubleshooting of the alternators revealed that the 2-amp fuse for the left alternator was blown, preventing that alternator from functioning. Also, the field wire for the right alternator was found disconnected, preventing that alternator from functioning. Once investigators replaced the blown fuse and reattached the field wire, both alternators functioned normally. The postaccident engine test runs did not reveal evidence of a mechanical malfunction or anomaly that would have precluded normal operation. When interviewed after the accident, the pilot reported that the airplane had been flown for the last 10 days with both alternator warning lights continuously illuminated in the cockpit and with unreliable load meters. When the pilot brought the electrical issues up with his supervisor and with maintenance personnel, he was told to keep flying the airplane because it was being used to transport cargo and there was fear that the operator would lose the contract. He stated that management pressured him to fly the airplane, telling him that there was nothing wrong with it.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.