Beechcraft BE 65-80 N215AB

Summary

On 5 June 1998 at about 19:31 local time, a Beechcraft BE 65-80 registered N215AB was involved in an accident near Malone, New York, United States. 5 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 June 1998 at 19:31

Classification

Accident

Location

Malone, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Malone-Dufort Airport (MAL)

Coordinates

44.8400, -74.2891

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE 65-80

Registration

N215AB

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nrth Myrtle Bch → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC98LA125

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to follow emergency procedures, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane after a loss of power from one engine. Factors include fuel filter blockage, inadequate maintenance, and the pilot's lack of experience in multi-engine airplanes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After a 4.7 hour flight, while turning onto final, the airplane landed short. The pilot did not mention engine problems during a police interview. He subsequently told an FAA Inspector that the left engine failed, then later, that the right engine failed. He told the Safety Board that both engines failed. Adequate fuel was confirmed. The previous day, the right engine failed approaching another airport. The pilot performed a single-engine go-around, with landing gear and flaps down. He refused assistance and performed his own maintenance. He cleaned the fuel filters of both engines. During a ground runup, the right engine was hard to start, and required a high fuel flow to remain running. After the pilot re-cleaned the right fuel filter the engine ran fine. The flight was uneventful until the accident. Post-flight examination revealed all propeller blades bent back 90 degrees, with significant chordwise scoring on one blade per engine. The left engine fuel filter was relatively clean, with some brown residue which contained ferrous material. The right engine fuel filter was heavily coated with a white residue which contained aluminum, and brown material which contained ferrous material. The pilot received his multi-engine rating on April 22, 1998.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.