Accident Overview
On February 27, 2016, at about 1030 Central Standard Time, a Beech 95-C55 airplane, registration N88FL, impacted terrain in a field while attempting to land at Casey Municipal Airport (1H8) in Casey, Illinois. The pilot and passenger on board were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight and had originated from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Birmingham, Alabama, at 0720. Instrument flight rules flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported difficulty locating the airport and requested vectors from Air Traffic Control twice. After locating the airport, he entered the traffic pattern on the crosswind leg and extended the downwind leg due to excessive speed. He set the mixture and throttle controls for landing and extended flaps to the approach setting abeam the threshold for runway 04. At that moment, the right engine "sputtered." The pilot checked the throttle levers and advanced the mixtures to full forward. While turning onto the base leg, the right engine lost power. The pilot continued the pattern and turned onto final approach, during which the left engine "sputtered and then shut down." The pilot extended flaps to the final setting, lowered the landing gear, and pushed the nose over to "make the runway." After flaring, the airplane bounced, floated, and bounced again. The pilot saw a ditch at the end of the runway, flew over it and the airport perimeter road, and touched down in a plowed field. The landing gear caught in the rough ground and all three struts collapsed.
On-Scene Examination
The Federal Aviation Administration examined the airport and airplane. The taxiway paralleling runway 04 exhibited tire marks that led off the taxiway into the adjacent field where the taxiway curved toward the runway. Two taxiway lights were broken along the airplane’s path. The tire marks ended and reappeared in a plowed and muddy field beyond the perimeter road, continuing about 1,500 ft to where the airplane came to rest. Examination of the airplane showed collapsed nose gear and right main landing gear; the left main gear was bent and broken outboard of the wheel well. The right wing spar was bent upward outboard of the aileron, and forward fuselage bulkheads at the nose wheel well showed upward crushing and bending. Both propellers were feathered, and the propeller controls were in the feather position. At the scene, no fuel was found in the left main tank or left auxiliary tank. The right main tank was full; the right auxiliary tank was partially full (about an inch from the bottom). Both fuel selectors were on the respective left and right main fuel tank positions. No system anomalies were found at the scene. The engines were retained for later examination.
Fuel Recovery
On March 3, 2016, AMF Aviation, LLC, recovered the airplane. Before moving it, 25 gallons of fuel was removed from each of the two main tanks (50 total gallons). The representative reported the fuel was clean 100 low lead.
Airport Information
Casey Municipal Airport is located west-northwest of Casey, Illinois, with an elevation of 653 ft msl. Runway 04/22 is 4,001 ft long and 75 ft wide, asphalt surfaced with medium intensity edge lighting. A taxiway parallels runway 04 to the north, beginning about 2,700 ft from the approach end, measuring about 1,400 ft in length before curving to the right toward the runway. A 12-ft wide perimeter road is located 487 ft from the departure end of runway 04.
Weather Conditions
At 0853, the reported weather at Coles County Memorial Airport (MTO), Mattoon/Charleston, Illinois, 16 nm northwest of 1H8, included wind from 180° at 10 knots, clear skies, visibility 9 statute miles, temperature 34°F, dew point 28°F, and altimeter 30.09 inches of Mercury.
Engine Examination
Both engines were examined at Continental Motors, Inc., Mobile, Alabama, on June 13–15, 2016. Each engine was mounted on a test stand, connected to fuel and electrical sources, started, and run for about 30 minutes. Both engines showed normal operation through all power settings.