Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB CEN19FA165
BEECH V35 — Frankfort, MI
| Date | May 13, 2019 |
| Location | Frankfort, MI |
| Aircraft | BEECH V35 |
| Purpose of flight | Business |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Emergency descent Off-field or emergency landing |
| Pilot age | 65 |
| Pilot total time | 6,800 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 10 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-(general)-Failure - C
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
The commercial pilot and passenger were conducting a cross-country flight. A little over an hour into the flight over Lake Michigan, the pilot declared an emergency, reporting an engine failure. Radar data indicated that the airplane's flight track diverted to the nearest airport shortly after the pilot declared the emergency. Radar and radio communications were lost about 7 minutes later, when the airplane was about 4 nm west of Frankfort, Michigan, at an altitude of 700 ft and an airspeed of 77 mph.
Ten days later, using a remotely operated underwater vehicle to search Lake Michigan in the area of the airplane's last radar contact, the Michigan State Police located the airplane at a water depth of 540 ft. The wreckage was not recovered; therefore, the engine could not be examined, and the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.