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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 2011 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Prospect Heights, Illinois · Chicago Executive 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11CA208.