Beechcraft B24R N53EM

Summary

On 22 April 2024 at about 21:15 local time, a Beechcraft B24R registered N53EM was involved in an accident near Lumberton Township, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 April 2024 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Lumberton Township, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Flying W (N14)

Coordinates

39.9343, -74.8072

Aircraft

Beechcraft B24R

Registration

N53EM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA190

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot/owner’s failure to ensure adequate maintenance of the airplane, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner was flying his airplane to another airport to get an annual inspection, after not previously having been inspected for almost 10 years. On takeoff, the airplane did not climb as expected and began to lose altitude with the landing gear still extended. A witness described that the airplane’s engine was “sputtering” and there was a significant drop in rpm. The airplane did not climb, encountered an aerodynamic stall, and impacted a field beyond the departure end of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed low compression on the No. 2 cylinder. The cylinder also displayed carbon build-up around the intake valve, and the valve was not sealing and appeared to be cracked. Based on the available information, this likely resulted a partial loss of engine power during the takeoff and the engine sounds heard by the witness. Had the airplane undergone the required annual inspection before the flight, it is likely that the deficient condition of the cylinder would have been detected and corrected, thus preventing the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.