CHI98FA296

The pilot reported the airplane decelerated during the takeoff roll. He applied the brakes and as he advanced the throttles to full power the airplane accelerated. The airplane cleared the end of the runway then stalled into Lake Michigan, flipped inverted and sank. One passenger reported that it felt as if someone put on the brakes. One passenger drowned. The pilot used 32' of manifold pressure for takeoff versus 37.3' as placarded. The pilot operating handbook lists normal takeoff speed as 91 KIAS, however the airplane was equipped with vortex generators. The pilot reported looking for 105 to 110 KIAS for takeoff. No evidence was found of the pilot having a multi-engine rating. No evidence of a mechanical failure/malfunction was found.

History of flight

On August 1, 1998, at 2200 central daylight time, a Cessna 340A, N5340F, operated by a private pilot collided with Lake Michigan while taking off on runway 18 (3,899' x 150') from the Merrill C. Meigs Field (Meigs Field), Chicago, Illinois. One passenger drowned as a result of the accident. The pilot and two other passengers received minor injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The pilot and passengers stated they had flown from Louisville, Kentucky, to Meigs Field earlier in the evening to have dinner in Chicago. Following dinner they returned to Meigs Field in preparation for their flight back to Louisville.

The following information was gathered from the pilot through an interview on the night of the accident, three subsequent telephone interviews, and the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 which he completed. The pilot stated he was aware that the airport was going to be closing so when they arrived back at the airport he went out to begin the aircraft preflight while the passengers were inside the terminal building. Once the passengers got to the airplane the pilot had finished his preflight and they boarded for takeoff. He stated he instructed the front seat passenger to keep her "feet back and not to touch anything with her hands."

The pilot reported that he contacted the tower and taxied to the runway where he performed an engine run up while waiting for another aircraft to depart. The pilot reported, that after being cleared for takeoff, he back taxied on the runway using all available runway. He then began the takeoff roll and as they were approaching 100 knots he told the passenger they were about to fly at which time the passenger stated "...don't worry I won't do anything." The pilot reported that a second later, when approximately 2,400 feet down the runway, "...we lost power on the left engine (I think) I believe my right foot was holding the right rudder completely in." He reported that he did not recall seeing split needles. In an interview two days after the accident the pilot stated he thought he recalled seeing "split needles", but he wasn't sure. He also stated during the interview that he did not have any problem maintaining directional control of the airplane and he had even pressure on both rudder pedals. He reported he pushed the throttles from 32" to full power and he intended on moving the fuel boost pumps from low to high, but inadvertently moved them to the off position. He reported he put his hand back on the throttles and was starting to pull the power back and apply brakes when power was regained. He reported that the airspeed had dropped to 60 knots, but the last time he looked at the airspeed indicator it was at 80 knots and both engines were producing power. The pilot reported there was approximately 900' of runway remaining so he elected to continue the takeoff rather then try and stop the airplane. He reported that after liftoff the stall horn sounded and he had no elevator control. He reported the airplane stalled, hit the water, and flipped over.

The pilot was interviewed on August 3, 1998. During that interview the pilot reported he was looking for 105 to 110 knots to rotate. He also stated that when he felt the deceleration he applied heavy, slow braking and the airspeed was at 80 knots when he noticed it. He stated he did not pull the throttles back when he applied the brakes.

One of the passengers stated that during the takeoff roll everything seemed to be normal then suddenly the airplane "...seemed to lose power... ." She continued to report, "An instant later we had power and we were moving fast again. Next, the nose lifted up as it does for takeoff and then an instant later we flipped or rolled... ."

The other passenger stated that everything seemed normal during the takeoff until they were about 3/4 the way down the runway at which time he felt a "very marked deceleration" of the airplane. He stated the airplane decelerated, then accelerated again very quickly. He did not recall if there was a change in engine noise, but was certain the engines did not stop. He stated the deceleration felt more like someone putting on the brakes rather then the engines losing power. He stated the nose of the airplane was up when they were initially over the water. The tail of the airplane contacted the water first followed by a "violent" impact when the nose contacted the water.

The accident was witnessed by several people. Several of the witnesses reported seeing the airplane traveling at a high rate of speed down the runway. A couple of them reported hearing the engine(s) "rev" up and reported seeing a puff of dust/smoke or sparks coming from the tail of the airplane as it was near the end of the runway.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an instrument rating. His private pilot certificate was issued on August 25, 1996, and the instrument rating was added to that certificate on January 14, 1997. The pilot reported that he kept his pilot certificates along with his logbook in a satchel inside the airplane. Neither the satchel, certificates, or the logbooks were located after the accident. On his Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application for his instrument checkride the pilot reported he had a total flight time of 177.6 hours of which 88.7 hours were pilot-in-command time. On the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 the pilot reported having a total flight time of 1,600 hours, of which 1,450 hours were as pilot-in-command. In addition, he reported having 500 hours total flight time in Cessna 340 airplanes of which 400 hours was pilot-in-command.

The pilot stated that he had received a multi-engine rating in March or April of 1997. No record(s) of the pilot having received a multi-engine rating were located. The pilot reported he received the majority of his multi-engine training from a flight instructor in Ohio. When this flight instructor was contacted he stated that he had not given the accident pilot multi-engine training.

The pilot held a first class medical certificate issued July 28, 1998. The certificate contained the limitation "Holder shall wear corrective lenses."

Aircraft information

N5340F, a Cessna 340A, s/n 340A0667, was manufactured in 1979. The airplane was equipped with two Teledyne Continental TSIO-520-NB engines. The last annual inspection on the airplane was conducted on March 10, 1998, at a total airframe time of 2972.0 hours and a hobbs time of 221.7 hours. Total hobbs time at the time of the accident was 287.9 hours. The airplane had additional routine maintenance and avionics work performed on it since the annual inspection. The airplane was equipped with MICRO Vortex Generators.

Airport information

Runway 18 at Meigs Field was in use at the time of the accident. The runway is 3,899'x 150' with a 549' displaced threshold. There is a 50' paved overrun area followed by an additional 37' rock covered area at the end of runway 18 prior to the terrain drop off to the Lake Michigan. Hours of operation at the airport are from 0600 to 2200 daily.

On the morning after the accident two gulls and one kestral were found dead on the runway. All three birds were found aligned approximately 40' west of the runway centerline along the first half of the runway. The airport is equipped with a bird control cannon which is timed to activate every 20 minutes. According to airport personnel the cannon was operating on the night of the accident. There were no bird strikes reported to the Meigs Air Traffic Control Tower on the day of the accident. Neither the pilot or passengers on N5340F reported hearing a bird strike on the airplane. There was no physical evidence of a bird strike on the airplane.

Wreckage and impact information

The airplan