Beechcraft C24R N5246M

Summary

On 13 September 2021 at about 14:45 local time, a Beechcraft C24R registered N5246M, operated by Florida Aviation Career Training Inc, was involved in an accident near Augustine, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 September 2021 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Augustine, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Northeast Florida Rgnl (SGJ)

Coordinates

29.9593, -81.3397

Aircraft

Beechcraft C24R

Registration

N5246M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Florida Aviation Career Training Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA361

3 people had minor injuries.

Improperly installed fuel injection system components, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The chief flight instructor of the flight school was performing a checkout flight for two other flight instructors, one of whom was in the front right seat and conducted the short-field takeoff. During the takeoff roll, the airplane lifted off in about 2,000 ft, leaving about 6,000 ft of runway remaining. Shortly after liftoff, the airplane failed to maintain airspeed or altitude upon reaching an altitude of about 150 ft above ground level. The chief flight instructor took control of the airplane and attempted to land on the remaining runway; however, the airplane struck the approach lighting system, flipped over, and came to rest inverted in a marsh. Examination of the engine revealed that two fuel injector lines were not installed properly: one contained a damaged nut and was pulled off the injector with ease, and the other was secured by only one thread. In addition, the oil filter screen was contaminated with large pieces of carbon and metal. These discrepancies should have been detected and addressed during the previous annual/100-hour inspections that occurred 5 flight hours before the accident flight. Based on this information, it is likely that condition of one or both of the fuel injector components allowed air to be introduced into the fuel stream for their respective cylinders, thus reducing the engine performance and resulting in a partial loss of power during the initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.