United States of America

Flight 710 departed Chicago, IL for a flight to Carbondale, IL via Springfield, IL. The flight was about 45 minutes behind schedule when it arrived at Springfield, about 20:05. At 20:11, the flightcrew were provided with the latest Carbondale weather: ceiling and visibility were 2,000 feet overcast and 2 miles, respectively, with light rain and fog. The crew then requested its IFR clearance, with 5,000 feet for its en route altitude. At 20:16, Flight 710 was cleared to taxi to runway 15 for takeoff. The aircraft took off at 20:20 and climbed to cruising altitude. At 20:21:34, Flight 710 informed the departure controller that it had experienced a "slight electrical problem..." and that it would keep the controller "advised." The flight then requested and was cleared to maintain 3,000 feet. At 20:23:54, the first officer told the captain that "the left (generator) is totally dead, the right (generator) is putting out voltage but I can't get a load on it." At 20:24:26, the first officer reported, "zero voltage and amps (amperes) on the left side, the right (generator) is putting out twenty-seven and a half (volts) but I can't get it to come on the line." The battery voltage further dropped to 22 volts. The crew a.o. shut off excess cabin lights because of the electrical problem. About 20:38, the first officer mistakenly isolated the right generator and right generator bus bar from the aircraft's dc electrical distribution system. Radio contact was lost when the flight was requested to change radio frequencies. At 20:52 the captain decided to descend to 2,400 feet and the voltage had further dropped to 13 volts. The aircraft continued to descend and struck the ground in an open pasture area.

The aircraft crashed in the water in an isolated area of the Florida Bay while in a near inverted, left wing low, nose down attitude and at a high rate of descent with slow forward speed. The landing gear were down and locked, and the flaps were extended about 10°. Examination of the cargo door revealed evidence to suggest that it was not hinged to the aircraft during impact. The purpose of the flight is still under investigation by other gov't agencies. The passenger was seriously injured and the pilot was killed.

Shortly after takeoff, the left engine began to progressively lose power and was shut down. The aircrew notified Beech Tower of the problem and reported they would like to return and land. The aircraft was observed on final approach to runway 18 with the gear extended and the left prop stopped. Before landing, the aircraft began veering to the left. It crossed over the end of the airport at about 40 feet agl and 300 feet left (east) of the runway. The left wing and nose dropped and the aircraft impacted the ramp, left wing first. The aircraft then skidded across the ramp on a heading of 160° and collided with and damaged three other aircraft; a Beechcraft F33A registered N1833S; another Beechcraft 60 Duke registered N6747D and a Beechcraft 58 registered N5800B. An investigation revealed that the #2 exhaust valve lifter had become flat and the #2 exhaust valve had failed from fatigue. Both pilots escaped uninjured.

Several days prior, a fam flight was intended in the aircraft to be given to the pilot by another person who represented himself as a pilot. The flight was cancelled due to a problem with the left engine. On the day of the accident, the other person told the pilot that the engine was repaired and they proceeded to conduct a local test flight with the other person conducting the takeoff from the left seat. They reportedly switched seats prior to landing. The approach appeared normal until just prior to landing. A burst of sound from the engines was heard and the aircraft yawed and rolled left. The left wing impacted the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled. The last logbook entry was in 10/82. The owner could not be located. The other pilot could not be located and there is no record of him being issued a pilot's certificate. During teardown of the left engine the servo fuel injector was found rigged extremely lean at the idle stop.

After transporting passengers from Longview, TX to Oklahoma City, OK and return to Longview, the aircraft was refueled for a flight back to Nacogdoches, TX, where the aircraft was based. About 12 min after takeoff, the pilot was cleared for an NDB approach to Nacogdoches and instructed to contact the Lufkin FSS for weather and current altimeter setting. During the NDB approach, the aircraft collided with trees, crashed and burned. An investigation revealed no evidence of either an engine or airframe failure or malfunction. Initial impact occurred with trees about 700 yards east of the NDB site. Initially, trees were cut in an upsloping manner where the terrain sloped upwards. Elevation of the crash site was 530 feet msl. The minimum descent altitude (MDA) was 900 feet msl. About 28 miles north, the 1955 cdt weather at Lufkin was, in part: 3,500 feet broken, visibility 5 miles. However, witnesses at Nacogdoches reported considerably lower ceilings, reduced visibility and some hilltops obscured by clouds. A pilot witness reported light rain, fog in the treetops. Reportedly, the airport was below minimums. Both occupants were killed.

The pilot was executing a high speed pass over the runway at about 250 feet agl. The pilot then began a rapid pull-up and both wings separated just outboard of the engine nacelles. Reconstruction of the sequence from a videotape revealed that the aircraft's speed at the time of the wing separations was 220 knots. Vne for the aircraft is 193 knots. It was calculated that, at 220 knots and an 8° nose-up pitch, the 'g' load at the time of the wing separations would have been 8.3 g's. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The aircraft crashed while maneuvering at low airspeed and altitude right after takeoff. The pilot said the left engine started losing power intermittently at 90 knots. The pilot had rotated the aircraft and tried to continue the takeoff. He was cleared to land on any runway and in attempting a turn with landing gear and partial flaps extended control was lost and a crash occurred. The aircraft flight manual states that if an engine fails below 105 mph the takeoff should be aborted. An on scene examination revealed no evidence to suggest a pre-impact failure or malfunction. Both propellers showed evidence of torsional overload damage. When the engines were further examined the left engine fuel strainer was partially clogged with dirt. During a run-up test the left engine would not develop more than 23 inches hg. At 2,750 rpm and magneto rpm drop was erratic. The engine would not run with the aux fuel boost pump off. The reason for the low power output was a disconnected pressure line for the turbocharger which appeared to have been disconnected for some time. All five occupants were injured, two of them seriously.

During arrival, the pilot checked the lighted windsock and estimated that the wind was from 020° at 10 knots. He elected not to land on runway 31 since there were obstacles near the approach end. He stated that when the aircraft was about to touch down on runway 13, there was a big gust of wind which made the aircraft land long. As the aircraft landed, the pilot selected max reverse, but got no response. He decide he could not make a successful go-around so he applied max braking, but was unable to stop on the remaining runway. Subsequently, the aircraft departed the runway, went thru a fence, crossed a road, hit a pole and then the gear collapsed as it went over railroad tracks. A witness estimated that at about the time the aircraft was landing, the wind shifted to the north and increased to about 35 to 40 mph. Reportedly, the final approach speed was about 13 knots too fast. Skid marks were found on the runway, starting about 2,000 feet from the approach end. With a 35 knots tailwind, landing roll without reverse thrust would have been 3,015 feet. No malfunctions found, but it was noted that reverse system was inoperative above 90 knots. All three occupants escaped uninjured.

About one minute after takeoff, between 400-500 feet msl and during the first power reduction, the right engine backfired. Following some more violent backfires the rpm went to zero. The right engine was restarted but the same result occurred. The pilot attempted to feather the right prop but to no avail. The aircraft was then deliberately ditched to avoid an outcropping of lava. The aircraft came to rest in about 25-30 feet of water. Engine inspection revealed that the #2 cylinder exhaust rocker arm shaft, p/n45937, was missing. Drive train continuity was established with the exception of the #2 exhaust valve. Centrifugal stops prevent feathering of the prop below an engine speed of 500 rpm. All 10 occupants were rescued.

The pilot initiated a takeoff on a hot afternoon with 7 passengers on board. Shortly after liftoff, two witnesses observed what they described as a puff of black smoke from the right engine. According to witnesses, the aircraft turned to the left before crossing the departure end of the runway at low altitude and low speed. Subsequently, the aircraft rolled rapidly to the left and impacted the ground in a near flat attitude, with a high rate of sink, and sufficient forward velocity to slide or bounce about 70 feet before coming to rest and burning. An exam of the wreckage, including teardowns of both engines, revealed no pre-impact/mechanical malfunction or failure. The aircraft was estimated to be 80 lbs below its max design gross weight. Its center of gravity was computed to be 1.45 inches aft of its rear limit. The temperature was 101° and the density altitude was about 4,000 feet. All eight occupants were killed.