N88FLBeech 95-C55 · 1966

On February 27, 2016 about 1030 Central Standard Time, a Beech 95-C55 airplane, N88FL, impacted in a field while attempting to land at the Casey Municipal Airport (1H8), Casey, Illinois. The pilot and passenger on board were not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to DBI Properties LLC and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross country flight that operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Birmingham, Alabama, at 0720.The pilot reported having difficulty visually locating the airport and had to ask Air Traffic Control (ATC) for vectors to the airport twice. After finally locating the airport, the pilot reported that he entered that traffic pattern on the crosswind leg and extended his downwind leg because of the excessive speed. He set the mixture and throttle controls for landing and extended flaps to the approach setting abeam the threshold for runway 04. At that time the right engine "sputtered". The pilot immediately checked the throttle levers and advanced the mixtures to full forward. As he turned onto the base leg, the right engine lost power. The pilot continued the landing pattern making a turn onto final approach. As he was making the turn, the left engine "sputtered and then shut down." The pilot extended the flaps to the final setting, lowered the landing gear, and pushed the airplane's nose over to "make the runway." The pilot said that he "flared then bounced, floated and bounced again. I saw a ditch at the end of the runway so I flew over it and the [airport] perimeter road, touching down in a plowed field. The [landing] gear caught in the rough ground and all three struts collapsed."

The Federal Aviation Administration conducted an on scene examination of the airport and the airplane. The taxiway that paralleled runway 04 showed tire marks that went off the taxiway into the adjacent field where the taxiway curved toward the runway. Two taxiway lights were found broken along what would have been the airplane's path. The tire marks ended and then were seen again in a plowed and muddy field just beyond the airport perimeter road. The tire marks continued for about 1,500 ft to where the airplane came to rest.

An examination of the airplane showed the nose gear and right main landing gear collapsed. The left main gear was bent and broken outboard of the wheel well. The airplane's right wing spar was bent upward outboard of the aileron and the forward fuselage bulkheads at the nose wheel well showed upward crushing and bending. Both propellers were feathered and the propeller controls were in the feather position. When examined at the scene, there was no fuel in the left main tank or left auxiliary tank. The right main tank was full of fuel. The right auxiliary fuel tank was partially full, with a fuel level about an inch from the bottom of the tank. Both fuel selectors were on the respective left and right main fuel tanks positions. No anomalies were found with the airplane's systems at the scene. The engines were retained for later examination.

On March 3, 2016, AMF Aviation, LLC, recovered the airplane from the accident scene. Prior to moving the airplane, 25 gallons of fuel (50 total gallons) was removed from each of the two main fuel tanks. The representative for AMF Aviation reported the fuel was clean 100 low lead.

Casey Municipal Airport is located on the west-northwest side of the town of Casey, Illinois. The field elevation is 653 ft msl. Its principal runway is 04/22, which is 4,001 ft long by 75 ft wide. It is asphalt surfaced with medium intensity edge lighting. A taxiway parallels runway 04 to the north and begins about 2,700 ft from the approach end of the runway. The taxiway measures about 1,400 ft in length to where it curves to the right and proceeds perpendicularly to the runway. A 12-ft wide perimeter road is located 487 ft from the departure end of runway 04.

At 0853, the reported weather conditions at Coles County Memorial Airport (MTO), Mattoon/Charleston, Illinois, 16 nm northwest of 1H8, were wind 180 at 10 knots, clear skies, visibility 9 statute miles temperature 34 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 28 degrees F, and altimeter 30.09 inches of Mercury.

Both engines were examined at Continental Motors, Incorporated, Mobile, Alabama, on June 13, 14, and 15, 2016. Each engine was mounted on a test stand, connected to fuel and electrical sources, started, and run for approximately 30 minutes. Both engines showed normal operation through all power settings.