What happened
On February 16, 2022, a Beech 58, registration N58LF, was involved in a fatal accident near Lexington, North Carolina. The aircraft was being operated under Part 91 for personal use. The pilot had arrived at Davidson County Airport (EXX) that afternoon to retrieve the aircraft following the completion of an annual inspection.
During the takeoff roll, witnesses observed smoke trailing the right engine as the aircraft rotated. As the plane continued its climb, the right engine lost power and the propeller feathered. Witnesses also noted smoke trailing the left engine near the end of the runway, accompanied by a perceived loss of power. The aircraft subsequently banked left, stalled, and pitched nose-down, eventually impacting a tractor-trailer traveling on a nearby highway. The collision caused a post-impact fire.
The accident resulted in 1 fatality (the pilot) and 2 minor injuries to the driver and passenger of the impacted tractor-trailer.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and the engines of the N58LF. The left engine was found to have a fuel injector nozzle (No. 3 cylinder) that was not installed in the cylinder, though it remained attached to the fuel injector line. This condition likely caused the observed smoke and a power reduction of approximately 15% during takeoff.
Regarding the right engine, investigators found evidence of early-stage detonation on the No. 1 piston. This engine had recently undergone repairs following an incident in October 2021, where the pilot reported excessively high cylinder head temperatures. During those previous repairs, maintenance personnel identified no compression in the No. 1 cylinder and replaced the cylinder and piston. However, investigators noted that no troubleshooting was performed to find the root cause of the initial detonation, and engine monitor data from the previous event was not reviewed.
Findings
- The right engine experienced power loss likely due to the onset of detonation in the No. 1 cylinder.
- The left engine experienced a partial power loss because the No. 3 cylinder fuel injector nozzle was not installed in its cylinder.
- The pilot failed to maintain airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude following the loss of engine power.