# NTSB ERA24LA190: Beech B24R, N53EM, Lumberton Township, NJ, April 22, 2024 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: April 22, 2024, 17:15 local (21:15 UTC) - Place: Lumberton Township, NJ - Coordinates: 39.934278, -74.807222 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.9343&lon=-74.8072&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 194139 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA24LA190 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194139/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194139 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA190 ## Probable cause The pilot/owner’s failure to ensure adequate maintenance of the airplane, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power during takeoff. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine (reciprocating): recip eng cyl section](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Damaged/degraded (probable cause); cases with it: [Beech B24R, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md?model=1151253), [All aircraft, 373 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md) - [Engine (reciprocating)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Not serviced/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Beech B24R, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md?model=1151253), [All aircraft, 497 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md) - [Maintenance: scheduled/routine maintenance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062010): Personnel issues › Task performance · Owner/builder (probable cause); cases with it: [Beech B24R, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062010/cases.md?model=1151253), [All aircraft, 320 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) (defining event); cases with it: [Beech B24R, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md?model=1151253), [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) - [Uncontrolled descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Beech B24R, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=1151253), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot/owner was flying his airplane to another airport to get an annual inspection, after not previously having been inspected for almost 10 years. On takeoff, the airplane did not climb as expected and began to lose altitude with the landing gear still extended. A witness described that the airplane’s engine was “sputtering” and there was a significant drop in rpm. The airplane did not climb, encountered an aerodynamic stall, and impacted a field beyond the departure end of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed low compression on the No. 2 cylinder. The cylinder also displayed carbon build-up around the intake valve, and the valve was not sealing and appeared to be cracked. Based on the available information, this likely resulted a partial loss of engine power during the takeoff and the engine sounds heard by the witness. Had the airplane undergone the required annual inspection before the flight, it is likely that the deficient condition of the cylinder would have been detected and corrected, thus preventing the accident. ## Factual narrative On April 22, 2024, at 1715 eastern daylight time, a Beech B24R, N53EM, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at the Flying W Airport (N14), Lumberton Township, New Jersey. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot/owner said he was taking his airplane get an annual inspection at another airport. He performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, started the engine, and checked the magnetos before departing. Once the airplane became airborne, it did not climb very well and began to settle back towards the ground with the landing gear still extended. A witness said the airplane’s engine was “sputtering” as it was trying to climb, and sounded like there was a significant drop in rpm. The witness that the airplane subsequently “stalled” and impacted a field off the end of the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the lower fuselage sustained substantial damage. Examination of the engine revealed low compression on the No. 2 cylinder. The cylinder was examined with a borescope and carbon build-up was noted. The intake valve was not sealing, and the valve seat appeared to be cracked. A review of the maintenance records revealed the last annual inspection on the engine was completed on May 14, 2014, at a total time of 1,469.2 hours since overhaul. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued about 16 hours since the last annual inspection. Per Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.409(a), an aircraft must undergo an annual maintenance inspection every 12 calendar months to be legal to operate. 14 CFR Part 43, Appendix D, outlines the scope and detail of items that must be checked during the annual inspection of reciprocating engine aircraft. This regulation is critical for ensuring the airworthiness of aircraft by mandating comprehensive inspections of various systems and components, including the engine. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N53EM](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N53EM), registered now, S/N MC-395, built 1976 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH B24R - Registry model: [Beech B24R](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-b24r) (registry code 1151253) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (registry code 41515, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: MC-395 - Year built: 1976 - Airframe hours: 1904 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-A1B 200 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Checker Aircraft LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 12, 2014 - Airport: N14, Flying W, runway 01/19, 3,496 × 75 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 62; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: unknown; last flight review July 16, 2012; seat: left; flight hours: 267 total, 19 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 380° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: KVAY, 2 nm away - METAR: KVAY 222154Z AUTO 28004KT 10SM CLR 16/M03 A3005 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20240422004689A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240422004689A), Apr 22, 2024: Beech B24R, Lumberton, NJ, Substantial damage. On April 22, 2024, the pilot of a Beech aircraft corporation B24R was observed taking off at a slow rate of speed with popping and sputtering sounds eminating… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 14, 2025, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194139. 2.8 MB in all. - Pilot interview summary (item 1, PDF, 2 pages, 868 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17502514&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20Record%20of%20Conversation%20-%20%20Pilot-Rel.pdf - Witness statement (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 66 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17502234&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20%20MOR%20-%20Witness-Rel.pdf - Excerpt from engine maintenance logbook - last annual (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 466 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17503216&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Engine%20Last%20Annual_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Investigation photos (item 4, PDF, 6 pages, 5 photos, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17503135&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Investigation%20Photos-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record - engine examination (item 5, PDF, 2 pages, 148 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18124028&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20MOR%20-%20FAA%20-%20Engine%20Exam%20Report-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.