2020 Beech B200 Accident Near Rockford, Illinois (N198DM)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On August 20, 2020, at approximately 1542 central daylight time, a Beech B200 airplane, registration N198DM, was destroyed in an accident near Rockford, Illinois. The aircraft was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 positioning flight, intended to relocate the airplane to the pilot's home base at DuPage Airport (DPA) in West Chicago, Illinois. The aircraft had been at Chronos Aviation, LLC, a 14 CFR Part 145 repair station at Rockford International Airport (RFD), for maintenance work. The private pilot was fatally injured in the accident. Multiple airport-based cameras recorded the sequence, showing the airplane taking off from runway 19. Shortly after liftoff, the aircraft began turning left and developed a large left bank angle before departing the runway to the left and impacting the ground. An explosion occurred during the impact sequence, followed by a postimpact fire. A video study estimated the airplane's maximum groundspeed during the takeoff at 105.5 knots (kts). The aircraft came to rest on a flat grass field to the east of runway 19 on airport property, sustaining fire damage and fragmentation from the terrain impact.