During The Takeoff, The Airplane Departed Controlled Flight

Location: Rockford, IL Accident Number: CEN20LA352
Date & Time: 08/20/2020, 1543 CDT Registration: N198DM
Aircraft: Beech 200 Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation – Positioning

On August 20, 2020, about 1543 central daylight time, a Beech 200 airplane, N198DM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Rockford, Illinois. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 positioning flight.

The purpose of the flight was to relocation the airplane to the pilot’s home base near Wayne, Illinois. The airplane was at Chronos Aviation, LLC (a 14 CFR Part 145 repair station) at the Rockford International Airport (RFD), Rockford, Illinois, for maintenance work. Preliminary flight track data showed the pilot initiated a takeoff from runway 19 at RFD. During the takeoff, the airplane departed controlled flight and impacted terrain. The airplane came to rest on a flat grass field to the east of runway 19 on airport property.

The airplane sustained fire damage and was fragmented from impacting terrain. A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector and an air safety investigator from Textron Aviation documented the accident site and the wreckage was recovered to a secure location for a future examination of the airframe and the two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42 engines.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov