Beech 58 accident near Prospect Heights, Illinois, February 22, 2011
On February 22, 2011 at about 2:00 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N12LK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Prospect Heights, Illinois (Chicago Executive Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 2011 · about 2:00 am local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Prospect Heights, Illinois · Chicago Executive Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N12LK · registry record · serial TH-84
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during the landing, he misjudged the airplane's height above the runway. He flared the airplane too soon and it touched down hard. The airplane slid down the runway and came to rest upright. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,502 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 4,363 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 27, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,593 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 30, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VPZ Valparaiso IN
- Destination: PWK Prospect Heights IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on March 28, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N12LK on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft 58 Baron 1,295 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES 9,482 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES 9,482 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chicago Executive · nearest airport
- Porter County Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,069 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA208.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.