Accident Details
On December 4, 2017, about 1805 central standard time, a Beech C90 airplane, registration N500KR, impacted terrain near the Chicago/Rockford International Airport (RFD) in Rockford, Illinois. The private pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries, while two other passengers received minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial fuselage damage. The flight operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was operating under an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance. The flight originated from Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM), Florida, about 1343 and was destined for RFD.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the flight was issued an IFR clearance as it neared RFD. The pilot requested priority handling, stating he "lost a transfer pump and had a little less fuel than he thought" and did not want to "come in with a single engine." The pilot was cleared for a visual approach to runway 19. As the airplane approached, the pilot requested runway 25 lights and reported that the airplane lost engine power in one engine. The controller confirmed the lights were on and issued a landing clearance. That was the last transmission; the airplane subsequently struck terrain before the runway 25 threshold.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The 46-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single- and multi-engine land and instrument ratings, and a third-class medical certificate dated May 17, 2017. He reported 2,500 hours of total flight time. N500KR, a 1977 Beech C90A King Air (serial number LJ-708), was a low-wing, pressurized twin-engine airplane. It was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-21 turbo-prop engines, each rated at 550 horsepower, driving McCauley 4-blade constant-speed propellers. The airplane had accumulated 9,856.7 hours total time as of an August 25, 2017 inspection. No preimpact anomalies were found in the airframe or engines.
Wreckage Examination
The empennage separated from the fuselage aft of the rear pressure bulkhead; flight control continuity was established. Both left and right transfer pump switches were found in the OFF position. The left boost pump wire was separated in an area of structural damage. No usable fuel was found in any fuel tank, though a liquid consistent with fuel was observed in fuel lines. Both engine-driven fuel pumps exhibited bearing surface pitting consistent with operation with inadequate fuel lubrication. The left engine power turbine blades showed fracture witness marks; the right engine power turbine blades were intact.
Fuel System Details
The airplane's fuel system included nacelle tanks and wing tanks with a crossfeed system. Transfer pumps move fuel from wing tanks to nacelle tanks. The AFM checklist required transfer pumps ON during after-starting and taxi, and OFF during shutdown. A performance study using flight planning methods estimated about 119 lbs of fuel remaining at the time of the accident; a fuel burn simulation suggested fuel exhaustion on approach. The pilot had reported a lost transfer pump and expressed fuel concerns during the flight.
Additional Information
The Stratus 2S unit recovered from the cockpit provided GPS data of the accident flight and a prior flight. No weather or ATC factors beyond what is described were specified in the source. The investigation did not cite a probable cause.