- Date
- August 13, 1989, 18:43 local (23:43 UTC)
- Place
- Bloomington, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N915QBeech A33
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890813031119A
- Case key
- 14405
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to contamination (water, debris, and rust-like particles) in the fuel and the pilot's failure to detect the contamination during the pre-flight inspection.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Shortly after takeoff, as the aircraft climbed through about 100 feet above the ground, the engine lost power and the pilot made a forced landing. The aircraft touched down at the departure end of the runway, and continued on across a grassy area and into a field of mature corn before coming to a stop. Post-accident examination revealed contamination (water, debris, and a rust-like particulate) in the fuel system. The engine ran up normally with clean fuel in the system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N915Q
- Reported as
- Beech A33
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CD-379
- Airframe hours
- 4,650
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-K, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard L. Weible Insurance
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 19, 1989 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- BMI · Bloomington, IL
- Destination
- 3WE · St. Louis, MO
- Airport
- BMI · Bloomington, runway 21, 3,723 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,550 total · 671 in this make and model · 1,508 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BMI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.