N414BS

On June 27, 2024, at 1028 central daylight time, a Cessna 414, N414BS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near McKinney, Texas. The private pilot and a passenger were fatally injured, and a second passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a personal flight.

The purpose of the flight was to perform an avionics check flight to be flown by the pilot/airplane owner with two passengers, who were employees of the avionics facility that had installed the avionics to be checked. The flight was to be about 30-45 minutes in duration and flown northeast of the airport and would then return to the departure airport to fly instrument approaches. There was no record that fuel was obtained for the airplane at the departure airport prior to the flight.

N414BS took off from runway 18 (7,002 ft by 150 ft, dry concrete) with an airport elevation of approximately 589 ft. Shortly after liftoff, N414BS reported losing the left engine. Air traffic control instructed N414BS to turn right, and there was no response. N414BS was requested to say their intentions, and N414BS responded that they were turning left. N414BS was cleared to land in whichever direction they needed.

The airplane’s takeoff was heard by a witness located in an office near taxiway B4. He said the engine sound from the airplane went from a loud sound to a bogged sound quickly, and it sounded like an engine failure. He quickly went outside, where he saw the airplane in a left yaw with its landing gear extended. He said that it seemed as if the airplane lost left engine power before it flew past taxiway B4. He said the airplane was about 50 – 75 ft above runway 18 and about 2,600 – 2,700 ft from the departure end of runway 18 when it flew past taxiway B4. The airplane was slow and began to turn left when it got really slow as it neared the departure end of runway 18. The airplane then rolled left and upside down and dove into the ground from about 100 ft agl.

Automatic dependence surveillance broadcast data for the airplane showed that when the airplane climbed to 600 ft, its speed was 99 kts. The airplane’s speed then ranged from 93 kts – 65 kts and decreased within this range to a minimum of 65 kts before increasing to 70 kts, which was the last recorded data point.

The airplane wreckage was about 0.7 miles southeast of the departure end of runway 18. The airplane impacted a gravel mound, and the airplane’s tail-to-nose heading was northeasterly. The airplane’s landing gear was extended. Both propellers were separated from their respective engines. Neither propeller was in a feathered position. Flight control continuity from the control surfaces to the cockpit controls was confirmed.

The airplane wreckage was retained from further examination.