What happened
On November 30, 2018, a Cessna 525A operating under Part 91 regulations departed Clark Regional Airport in Jeffersonville, Indiana, bound for Chicago Midway International Airport. The flight, registered as N525EG, departed into instrument meteorological conditions. During the initial climb, the pilot was performing post-takeoff checklists and communicating with air traffic control.
At approximately 10:26:45, the aircraft began a left bank at a rate of 5 degrees per second. Shortly thereafter, the autopilot disconnected. Following this disconnection, the aircraft entered a steep left turn, with the enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) issuing multiple bank angle alerts. The aircraft reached a peak altitude of approximately 6,100 feet before entering a rapid descent exceeding 11,000 feet per minute. During this descent, an overspeed warning was recorded as the aircraft's airspeed increased significantly.
The pilot broadcast a mayday distress call, stating the aircraft was in an emergency descent and that control could not be regained. The aircraft's bank angle reached nearly 90 degrees before impact. The crash occurred approximately 8.5 miles northwest of Clark Regional Airport, resulting in 3 fatalities.
Findings
- The aircraft was equipped with ADS-B and a cockpit voice recorder, but lacked a flight data recorder.
- The autopilot disconnect preceded the onset of the uncontrolled roll and subsequent high-speed descent.