History of Flight
On December 22, 2010, at 1446 central standard time, a Beech C24R, registration N5293M, impacted a building and several unoccupied parked vehicles before coming to rest in a parking lot about half a mile northwest of Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) in Wheeling, Illinois. The private pilot was seriously injured and the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and post-impact fire. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions with no flight plan filed. The reported destination was Schaumburg Regional Airport (06C).
The airplane had been operated by Chicago Executive Flight School and was sold to a private individual in October 2010. The pilot, who was also an airframe and powerplant mechanic, flew into PWK with three other people on the day of the accident to pick up the airplane for a new owner. The pilot and one passenger were to fly the accident airplane to Jacksonville, Illinois, with an en route stop at 06C. The pilot cleared snow off the airplane while a mechanic installed the battery. After starting, he taxied to the fixed base operator for de-icing and fueling. He performed a pre-flight inspection and sumped the fuel tanks, but instead of dumping the fuel sample, he put it back in the tank as advised by line personnel. He conducted an engine run-up on the ramp, and the airplane operated normally.
A mechanic from the flight school stated he installed the battery when the pilot arrived. The pilot started the engine and let it run for 5 to 10 minutes before taxiing. Later, the mechanic heard the pilot having trouble starting the engine and assisted by instructing him on restarting a hot fuel-injected engine. He noticed no anomalies in engine sound.
At 1436, the pilot requested taxi clearance for both airplanes and was cleared to taxi to runway 34. He ran the engine up two more times while waiting, and it performed normally. At 1444, the accident airplane was cleared for takeoff on runway 34 from the intersection of runway 06, providing 4,200 feet of usable runway.
The pilot retracted the landing gear at 50 to 75 feet above ground level (agl) and the flaps at about 200 feet agl. He recalled that the airplane began to sink when he retracted the flaps, so he decided to return to the airport. During the turn back, the engine began to vibrate and lose power; he felt vibrations in the control yoke. He lowered the landing gear for an emergency landing. In his written statement, he said the takeoff was normal until the engine began to lose power at 200 to 300 feet agl. He radioed the control tower at 1446 declaring an emergency, stating there were “all kinds” of vibrations and the airplane was “losing power quick.” This was the last transmission. Air traffic cleared the pilot to land on any surface. The pilot began a left turn but was unable to maintain altitude, and the airplane descended into the parking lot after contacting the roof of a two-story office building.
Witnesses described the airplane’s maximum altitude as between 50 and 200 feet agl, in a nose-high attitude with wings rocking. It entered a left turn, the left wing dropped, and it descended. Some witnesses stated the wings and pitch attitude leveled as it descended toward the building. The landing gear was extended and flaps retracted. Most witnesses said the engine sounded normal during takeoff; the mechanic who watched the takeoff said it sounded “strong.” However, a line person who did not witness the takeoff reported hearing “burbles” when the mechanic started the engine.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 36, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and a third-class airman medical certificate issued March 17, 2008, with a limitation for corrective lenses. His last flight review was completed on January 9, 2009. He also held an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate. His logbooks showed a total flight time of approximately 1,170 hours as of July 12, 2010, including 12 hours in multi-engine airplanes and about 1 hour in a helicopter. On the accident report, he reported 1,132 hours total, 1,112 in single-engine airplanes, and 3.5 hours in the Beech C24R.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number MC-572, was manufactured in 1978. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 200-hp engine equipped with a McCauley model B3036C429 constant speed propeller. Aircraft maintenance records were on board and sustained fire damage; legible portions showed the last airframe and engine annual inspection was completed on October 29, 2010, at a tachometer time of 2,951.31 hours, recording installation of an overhauled engine. Previous entries documented a propeller strike about two years earlier, subsequent metal shavings in oil, and engine overhaul. The engine was removed for overhaul on June 18, 2010, with a time since overhaul of 1,545 hours. An entry dated September 9, 2010, noted installation of an overhauled fuel pump (part number LW15472). The airplane sat on the ramp for at least one month before the accident. It was topped off with 19.8 gallons of fuel prior to takeoff; the line person saw no ice, frost, or snow on the airplane.
Meteorological Information
Surface observation at PWK at 1452 reported wind from 020 degrees at 11 knots, visibility 10 miles, ceiling 3,500 feet broken, temperature 2°C, dew point -2°C, and altimeter 30.33 inches.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane initially struck the roof of a two-story office/warehouse building about 40 feet high. Three elongated impact marks, the longest about 25 feet, were visible on the roof. The nose gear and left wing tip were found on the roof. The airplane then descended into an adjacent parking lot, damaging five parked cars, and came to rest against the trunk of one car. The airplane and engine sustained fire damage, with structure between the firewall and aft fuselage partially consumed. Examination of recovered airframe and flight control components revealed no pre-impact mechanical malfunction. All three landing gear were separated; the left main landing gear actuator was in the extended position. The flap actuator threads indicated about 1 degree of flap extension. The stabilator trim was slightly nose up. The engine remained attached to mounts, three of which were pulled from the firewall. Engine continuity was established, but magnetos were fire-damaged and not testable. The fuel servo had a melted substance on the inlet screen; a foreign piece of opaque material was found inside the screen, later identified by the NTSB Materials Laboratory as polyacetal, a thermoplastic. The engine-driven fuel pump base was stamped with part number 15472, a low-pressure pump delivering 4-6 psi, whereas the IO-360-A1B6 engine required a high-pressure pump (part number 15473) delivering about 14 psi. The Beechcraft Sierra C24R Pilot Operating Handbook indicates a maximum fuel pressure of 12 psi.
Additional Information
An autopsy of the passenger on December 23, 2010, by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reported the cause of death as smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Forensic toxicology detected 16% carbon monoxide and 0.46 µg/ml cyanide in the passenger's blood.