Night Cargo Flight Crash in Portage After Left Engine Failure (N3766)

Incident Overview and Initial Emergency Response On a night cargo flight from Detroit to Chicago, the crew encountered technical problems with the left engine, which subsequently failed. In response to the in-flight powerplant failure, the crew feathered the left engine propeller. The flight was then cleared to divert to Kalamazoo Airport for an emergency landing. ## Approach, Go-Around, and Crash During the final approach to Kalamazoo Airport, the crew was unable to lower the landing gear. The captain decided to execute a go-around and increased to full power on the right engine. During this maneuver, the airplane lost height and crashed in Portage, approximately 2.5 miles southwest of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed, and both crew members were killed. ## Official Findings and Probable Cause The official investigation identified the probable cause as the failure of the left engine in flight for an undetermined reason, followed by a loss of control during a go-around maneuver. The loss of control occurred after the crew failed to obtain flying speed while the flaps were fully deployed. Additional reported findings included the pilot-in-command's failure to obtain or maintain flying speed, misuse or failure to use the flaps, improper emergency procedures, a suspected mechanical discrepancy, and the left engine propeller being feathered in flight.