Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB ERA09FA283
BEECH K35 — Lantana, FL
| Date | May 6, 2009 |
| Location | Lantana, FL |
| Aircraft | BEECH K35 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Emergency descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 68 |
| Pilot total time | 2,450 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Power plant-(general)-Incorrect service/maintenance - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-(general)-(general)-Malfunction
What happened
According to witnesses, during the initial climb after takeoff and as the airplane reached an altitude of 75 to 100 feet above the ground, the engine ran rough momentarily and then lost power. The airplane entered a right descending turn back toward the airport, where it struck two parked, unoccupied airplanes before impacting the ground and colliding with a tractor-trailer container. Subsequent inspection of the engine revealed that the idler gear support pin was backed-off from its proper mounting position. In addition, the two mounting studs did not contain any mounting hardware, and their respective threads were undamaged. A review of maintenance records revealed that the airplane had been operated for about 2 hours since the engine was disassembled for "extensive engine repair due to spalled cam and lifter bodies," about 5 months prior to the accident, and since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed about 1 month prior to the accident. An engine test run that was conducted after the idler gear support pin was properly installed did not reveal any other engine anomalies.