Beechcraft G58 N669CS

Summary

On 12 June 2015 at about 18:50 local time, a Beechcraft G58 registered N669CS was involved in an accident near Taylorville, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 June 2015 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Taylorville, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Taylorville Muni (TAZ)

Coordinates

39.5336, -89.3236

Aircraft

Beechcraft G58

Registration

N669CS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Decatur → Taylorville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA280

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s failure to verify that the left engine was operational, which resulted in insufficient engine power being available during an attempted go-around and his subsequent loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the instructor's inadequate monitoring of the approach, which led to his failure to notice that the airplane was lined up with a taxiway and necessitated the go-around.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot receiving instruction and the flight instructor were conducting an instructional flight to help prepare the pilot for the multiengine practical examination. The pilot stated that, while returning to the base airport and about 7,500 ft above ground level (agl), the instructor reduced power on the left engine to simulate a single engine-out emergency. The student then identified, verified, and feathered the left engine propeller. About 7,000 ft agl, the instructor advised the pilot that they were going to conduct a simulated dual engine-out emergency and reduced the right engine power to idle. About 3 miles from the airport, the instructor advised that he was going to restart the feathered left engine, and the left propeller began turning, which led him to believe the engine was operating; however, he did not verify that the engine was operating. The instructor advised the pilot to conduct a straight-in approach and target 1,000 ft down the runway. As the airplane neared the airport with full flaps and the landing gear lowered for landing, the instructor realized that it was lined up with a taxiway. The instructor pushed the throttles forward, took the control yoke, and instructed the pilot to "get the wheels up for a go-around." Subsequently, the airplane entered a steep left turn and then impacted a cornfield adjacent to the airport. The instructor's inadequate monitoring of the approach led to his failure to see that the airplane was lined up with a taxiway instead of a runway, which necessitated the go-around. Data downloaded from the airplane's onboard avionics showed that, about 4.5 minutes before the accident, the left engine fuel flow and rpm decreased to zero, consistent with the engine being shut down and feathered. The rpm and fuel flow remained at zero for about 4 minutes and then began to increase. Subsequently, the fuel flow began to drop below minimum fuel flow levels again, and the rpm remained about 2,000 and decreased as the airspeed decreased, which is indicative of the instructor's failure to restart the engine. It is likely that the instructor saw the propeller windmilling and assumed it was rotating under power. The Federal Aviation Administration noted in a General Aviation Joint Steering Committee Safety Enhancement Topic bulletin that "single-engine go-arounds in light twin [airplanes] often don't go well and they should be avoided if possible." Because the instructor did not recognize that the airplane only had one engine operating, there was insufficient power for a go-around, which resulted in the instructor's subsequent loss of airplane control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.