CHI01FA139 · Beech 95-C55
Beech 95-C55 · Accident: loss of engine power during initial climb
From Saint Cloud Regional Airport (STC) to Winsted Municipal Airport (10D)
Event
- NTSB case
- CHI01FA139
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- InvestigationHow far the investigation had got when the record was published: preliminary, ongoing, final or completed. Unknown where the source does not say. Glossary
- Completed
- API-reported fatalities
- 0 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- General aviation
- WeatherVisual meteorological conditions (VMC): good enough to fly by looking outside. Instrument conditions (IMC): cloud or low visibility, flying by instruments. Glossary
- Visual Meteorological Cond
Beech 95-C55
- Aircraft type
- Beechcraft 55
- Category
- Airplane
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- N633K
- Operator
- Unknown
- Onboard fatalities
- Unknown
- Route
- From Saint Cloud Regional Airport (STC), St Cloud, MNTo Winsted Municipal Airport (10D), Winsted, MN
- Aircraft age
- Not recorded
- Flight rulesThe regulations the flight operated under: in the US, Part 91 (general aviation), Part 121 (airlines), Part 135 (air taxi and commuter) and others; for flights abroad, the NTSB's coarser commercial or non-commercial code. Glossary
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Phase of flightThe stage of the flight when things started to go wrong: standing, taxi, takeoff, initial climb, en route, maneuvering, approach or landing. Glossary
- Initial climb
- First occurrenceThe single coded event the NTSB judges best describes what happened (records from 2008 on). Older records name the first occurrence in the sequence instead. Glossary
- Loss of engine power
- Also codedOther events the NTSB coded in the sequence, such as a wire strike after a loss of power. Flight Findings uses them for its kinds of event. Glossary
- Tree(s)
- DamageDestroyed: beyond practical repair. Substantial: damage that affects the structure, performance or handling and normally needs major repair. Minor: less than that. Glossary
- Destroyed
Cause areas
- Pilot in command › Aircraft control, not maintained
Approximate · Coordinates as recorded by the NTSB; no uncertainty radius is established.
NTSB narrative
The airplane was destroyed on impact with trees and terrain following an in-flight loss of right engine power on initial climb out. The pilot sustained serious injuries. In an interview, a witness stated that on takeoff the airplane, "all of a sudden began to bank, like it was going to make a turn and head north. The plane then inverted and then the right wing began to dip under. The plane then went straight down into the wooded area next to the runway." The pilot said, "Starboard engine failed on takeoff (downwind engine) with gear [and] flaps down. At an altitude of 100-200 ft engine failed. As pressure to port rudder was applied and attempting to place fuel selector switch in ALT fuel position, A/C violently departed to the right. (rolled)" The pilot said, "I tried to re-start the right engine but had no time." The airplane's flight manual states: " Where practicable, the emergencies requiring immediate corrective action are treated in check list form for easy reference and familiarization. ... ENGINE FAILURE AFTER LIFT-OFF AND IN FLIGHT An immediate landing is advisable regardless of take-off weight. ... Continued flight requires immediate pilot response to the following procedures. 1. Landing Gear and Flaps - UP 2. Throttle (inoperative engine) - CLOSED 3. Propeller (inoperative engine) - FEATHER 4. Power (operative engine) - AS REQUIRED 5. Airspeed - MAINTAIN SPEED AT ENGINE FAILURE (99 KTS (114 MPH) MAX.) UNTIL OBSTACLES ARE CLEARED After positive control of the airplane is established: 6. Secure inoperative engine: ... NOTE The most important aspect of engine failure is the necessity to maintain lateral and directional control. If airspeed is below 80 kts (92 mph), reduce power on the operative engine as required to maintain control. ... CAUTION The pilot should determine the reason for engine failure before attempting an air start." An on-scene investigation was conducted. No anomalies were found. The right engine produced full power during a test run.
Probable cause
the pilot not maintaining aircraft control during the loss of right engine power during initial climb. Factors were the loss of right engine power for an undetermined reason, the pilot not complying with flight manual emergency procedures, and the trees.
Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset
Sources
NTSB record CHI01FA139
- Event ID
- 20010524X01013
- Case number
- CHI01FA139
- Dataset
- historical-pre2008
- Source SHA-256
- 89e2df6d848e7ab3b42e7d7c7a03ff403303057a26ca04c95b3ea67201c3ce74
Source notes (4)
- Unreviewed is an editorial label, not an investigation status. API-sourced is not report-checked or human-reviewed. Explicit event totals are used without summing aircraft injury tables; onboard allocation is withheld. Unknown values remain unknown. The operation category is mapped from the NTSB-reported FAR part and has not been reviewed.
- Filled from the NTSB case API where the bulk record had no value: investigation status. Values present in the bulk record are kept.
- The date is the local date, which is the same as the UTC date the NTSB stores.
- API snapshot SHA-256: fc8d6f364dcacbd35d8af9e8508dc2425ed2f7020e1fffebcd920946f42bff30; retrieved 2026-09-21T10:08:11.834Z.