Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB ERA18FA046
BEECH 58 — St. Croix
| Date | December 8, 2017 |
| Location | St. Croix |
| Aircraft | BEECH 58 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of engine power (partial) |
| Pilot age | 49 |
| Pilot total time | 765 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 5 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-Recip eng cyl section-Damaged/degraded - F
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-(general)-Failure - F
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Qualification/certification-Pilot - C
What happened
Before departing on the night cross-country flight in the multi-engine airplane with four passengers, the private pilot, who did not hold a multi-engine rating, called a flight instructor/mechanic, because he was having problems starting the left engine. The flight instructor/mechanic advised the pilot to wait until the next day; however, the pilot chose to depart. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot advised air traffic control that the engines were "not running right" and that he needed to return to the airport. The airplane was cleared to land, but impacted terrain about 500 ft short of the runway threshold and was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The disposition of the wreckage suggested a steep descent and impact attitude with little horizontal motion, consistent with a loss of control.
Examination of the left engine found that the No. 2 cylinder piston exhibited severe detonation damage, which likely resulted in the subsequent catastrophic failure of the left engine; however, the reason for the detonation could not be determined. While the pilot lacked a multiengine rating, the investigation was unable to determine his prior multiengine flight experience.