What happened
On January 16, 2008, a Hawker Beechcraft Corp. 58, registration N3217L, crashed into Lake Erie shortly after departing Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) in Cleveland, Ohio. The flight was a night positioning flight intended to travel from Cleveland to Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG) under visual meteorological conditions.
An air traffic controller reported that the pilot received takeoff clearance, which included an approved right turn on course. During this right turn, the controller observed the aircraft descend and impact the water. A witness at the airport also observed the aircraft descending at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from west to east, noting that the lights of the aircraft did not appear to be in a normal configuration for a fixed-wing plane.
Following the impact, witnesses observed a line of fire approximately 20 to 30 yards long that burned for several minutes. The aircraft and the pilot were recovered from the lake approximately one mile offshore in about 30 feet of water. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
Mechanical examination of the wreckage revealed that all flight control cables were intact, with breaks occurring only due to overload. The landing gear and flaps were in the retracted position. Both engines were found to have contained aviation gasoline, and both engines produced compression during testing. An engine monitor recorded data showing that both engines were producing indications consistent with a high power setting until the data stream stopped.
An autopsy of the pilot revealed hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia. Medical records indicated the pilot had been regularly using cyclobenzaprine, a medication noted to cause drowsiness. The investigation also noted the pilot's history of high blood pressure and other medical conditions.