What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
August 22, 2023, at approximately 17:40 EDT, a Beech 99C airliner was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Litchfield, Maine. The company ATP rated flight instructor and commercially rated new hire were fatally injured. Weather was clear.
A whitness report was made to this inspector by phone at around 17:50 and to 911 of a Beech 99 flying level and then pitching down into a steep decent, disappering beyond the tree line. This inspector made a phone call to his supervisor of the accident. Supervisor noted that the office had just received the report. Known facts about the accident was that this was a part 135 cargo converted aircraft operating on a part 91 training flight with a company instructor and new hire. No cargo on board, two fatally injured. Aircraft departed the auburn/lewiston airport and crashed in Litchfield Maine. This inspector was assigned to go to the accident scene as it was only 15 minutes away and at a known location. A call was made to the company to confirm no hazmat onboard.
On arrival to the scene, fire rescue and county sherrif's office briefed this inspector of one soul being located, with jet fuel and scattered aircraft debris throughout the wooded area. Inspector made his way into the woods noting where the aircraft initially stuck the tops of high 50 foot oak trees and striking the ground at a 20 degree angle descent 140 feet beyond. Debris was scattered appoximately 424 feet long by 100 feet wide. The fuselage and cockpit were highly fragmented with no instrument panel observed. Both wings were highly fragmented with both wing tips separated. Landing gear separated during impact and located beyond the wreckage site. Cockpit seats were highly fragmented. The aircraft engines were havily damaged and not near the impact scene. Both propellers were separated from the engines, showing leading edge damage and heavy scoring. A heavy presence of fuel odor was found within the confines of the debris field. Fuel samples were taken from the auburn/lewiston airport where the aircraft last fueled which appeared clean and clear. No further analysis was anticipated by the NTSB.
Aircrafts pitch trim system was located and observed in the tail section. The right pitch actuator and warning system push rod was disconnected from the horizonatal stabilizer. No visual damage to the actuator rod ends were observed. The bolt and nut that connects these push rods were not observed connected or found within the debris. The horizontal stabilizer attach bracket ends for the right actuator were observed spread apart opened.
Moments before the accident, ADS-B data, along with ATC confirmation, showed that there was a Beech sundowner conducting flight training. Both aircraft came within 100 feet of each other. The flight path of the Beech 99 airliner depicts it descending rapidly by approximately 300 feet as the sundowner flew over. Once passed, the Beech 99 airliner recovered back up 300 feet. Moments after the rapid decent of the Beech 99 is shown on radar data.
Two eyewitness individuals, one verbal and one with a written statement, both have identical stories noting that the Beech 99 was at approximately 3000 feet with both engines sounding smooth and normal, with a sudden nose pitch descent to the accident site.
There was no distress call made by the pilots of the Beech 99, nor were the pilots talking with ATC.
Further investigation of this accident is ongoing.
Awaiting results:
Tail push rod examination from Textron aviation
Results received:
Company instructor pilot training records
Company student ground training records
Company pilot duty/rest records
A/c maintenance records
Company student flight records never documented by
Instructor pilot.
March 12, 2024, based on an investigation report conducted by the NTSB, the right-hand actuator arm bolt was determinded to be missing at the time of impact. Further static testing will be conducted.
As the FAA filed it
AUGUST 22, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 17:40 EDT, A BEECH 99C AIRLINER WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN LITCHFIELD, MAINE. THE COMPANY ATP RATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND COMMERCIALLY RATED NEW HIRE WERE FATALLY INJURED. WEATHER WAS CLEAR.
A WHITNESS REPORT WAS MADE TO THIS INSPECTOR BY PHONE AT AROUND 17:50 AND TO 911 OF A BEECH 99 FLYING LEVEL AND THEN PITCHING DOWN INTO A STEEP DECENT, DISAPPERING BEYOND THE TREE LINE. THIS INSPECTOR MADE A PHONE CALL TO HIS SUPERVISOR OF THE ACCIDENT. SUPERVISOR NOTED THAT THE OFFICE HAD JUST RECEIVED THE REPORT. KNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE ACCIDENT WAS THAT THIS WAS A PART 135 CARGO CONVERTED AIRCRAFT OPERATING ON A PART 91 TRAINING FLIGHT WITH A COMPANY INSTRUCTOR AND NEW HIRE. NO CARGO ON BOARD, TWO FATALLY INJURED. AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE AUBURN/LEWISTON AIRPORT AND CRASHED IN LITCHFIELD MAINE. THIS INSPECTOR WAS ASSIGNED TO GO TO THE ACCIDENT SCENE AS IT WAS ONLY 15 MINUTES AWAY AND AT A KNOWN LOCATION. A CALL WAS MADE TO THE COMPANY TO CONFIRM NO HAZMAT ONBOARD.
ON ARRIVAL TO THE SCENE, FIRE RESCUE AND COUNTY SHERRIF'S OFFICE BRIEFED THIS INSPECTOR OF ONE SOUL BEING LOCATED, WITH JET FUEL AND SCATTERED AIRCRAFT DEBRIS THROUGHOUT THE WOODED AREA. INSPECTOR MADE HIS WAY INTO THE WOODS NOTING WHERE THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY STUCK THE TOPS OF HIGH 50 FOOT OAK TREES AND STRIKING THE GROUND AT A 20 DEGREE ANGLE DESCENT 140 FEET BEYOND. DEBRIS WAS SCATTERED APPOXIMATELY 424 FEET LONG BY 100 FEET WIDE. THE FUSELAGE AND COCKPIT WERE HIGHLY FRAGMENTED WITH NO INSTRUMENT PANEL OBSERVED. BOTH WINGS WERE HIGHLY FRAGMENTED WITH BOTH WING TIPS SEPARATED. LANDING GEAR SEPARATED DURING IMPACT AND LOCATED BEYOND THE WRECKAGE SITE. COCKPIT SEATS WERE HIGHLY FRAGMENTED. THE AIRCRAFT ENGINES WERE HAVILY DAMAGED AND NOT NEAR THE IMPACT SCENE. BOTH PROPELLERS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINES, SHOWING LEADING EDGE DAMAGE AND HEAVY SCORING. A HEAVY PRESENCE OF FUEL ODOR WAS FOUND WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE DEBRIS FIELD. FUEL SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE AUBURN/LEWISTON AIRPORT WHERE THE AIRCRAFT LAST FUELED WHICH APPEARED CLEAN AND CLEAR. NO FURTHER ANALYSIS WAS ANTICIPATED BY THE NTSB.
AIRCRAFTS PITCH TRIM SYSTEM WAS LOCATED AND OBSERVED IN THE TAIL SECTION. THE RIGHT PITCH ACTUATOR AND WARNING SYSTEM PUSH ROD WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE HORIZONATAL STABILIZER. NO VISUAL DAMAGE TO THE ACTUATOR ROD ENDS WERE OBSERVED. THE BOLT AND NUT THAT CONNECTS THESE PUSH RODS WERE NOT OBSERVED CONNECTED OR FOUND WITHIN THE DEBRIS. THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ATTACH BRACKET ENDS FOR THE RIGHT ACTUATOR WERE OBSERVED SPREAD APART OPENED.
MOMENTS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, ADS-B DATA, ALONG WITH ATC CONFIRMATION, SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A BEECH SUNDOWNER CONDUCTING FLIGHT TRAINING. BOTH AIRCRAFT CAME WITHIN 100 FEET OF EACH OTHER. THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE BEECH 99 AIRLINER DEPICTS IT DESCENDING RAPIDLY BY APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AS THE SUNDOWNER FLEW OVER. ONCE PASSED, THE BEECH 99 AIRLINER RECOVERED BACK UP 300 FEET. MOMENTS AFTER THE RAPID DECENT OF THE BEECH 99 IS SHOWN ON RADAR DATA.
TWO EYEWITNESS INDIVIDUALS, ONE VERBAL AND ONE WITH A WRITTEN STATEMENT, BOTH HAVE IDENTICAL STORIES NOTING THAT THE BEECH 99 WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 3000 FEET WITH BOTH ENGINES SOUNDING SMOOTH AND NORMAL, WITH A SUDDEN NOSE PITCH DESCENT TO THE ACCIDENT SITE.
THERE WAS NO DISTRESS CALL MADE BY THE PILOTS OF THE BEECH 99, NOR WERE THE PILOTS TALKING WITH ATC.
FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS ACCIDENT IS ONGOING.
AWAITING RESULTS:
TAIL PUSH ROD EXAMINATION FROM TEXTRON AVIATION
RESULTS RECEIVED:
COMPANY INSTRUCTOR PILOT TRAINING RECORDS
COMPANY STUDENT GROUND TRAINING RECORDS
COMPANY PILOT DUTY/REST RECORDS
A/C MAINTENANCE RECORDS
COMPANY STUDENT FLIGHT RECORDS NEVER DOCUMENTED BY
INSTRUCTOR PILOT.
MARCH 12, 2024, BASED ON AN INVESTIGATION REPORT CONDUCTED BY THE NTSB, THE RIGHT-HAND ACTUATOR ARM BOLT WAS DETERMINDED TO BE MISSING AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. FURTHER STATIC TESTING WILL BE CONDUCTED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.