Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB WPR10FA369
BEECH 95 55 — Oceanside, CA
| Date | July 27, 2010 |
| Location | Oceanside, CA |
| Aircraft | BEECH 95 55 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of engine power (partial) |
| Pilot age | 83 |
| Pilot total time | 33,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 648 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-(general)-Not specified - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
One witness reported that, during the airplane's initial climb, the engines seemed out of synchronization, and the airplane was yawing and drifting to the right and wasn’t gaining altitude before it rolled to the right in a descent and went out of view. A second witness reported that one engine didn’t sound like it was producing full power, like it was sputtering, and another witness observed the low-flying airplane’s landing gear retract before it rolled to the right and crashed. The airplane impacted terrain in an open field in a slightly right-wing-low attitude, came to rest upright, and sustained extensive thermal damage to the cabin and cockpit, obliterating any evidence of switch or control lever position or instrument indication. A postaccident examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers revealed no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the propellers revealed signatures consistent with the left engine producing low power and the right engine producing no power at ground impact.