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Accidents · NTSB CEN23LA406 · Final report

Beech B200 accident near Elk Grove Village, Illinois, September 8, 2023

On September 8, 2023 at about 11:41 pm local time, a 1983 Beech B200, registered N220KW, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Elk Grove Village, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare Intl airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot’s improper fuel planning, that resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and a subsequent forced landing. Also causal was the pilot’s decision to go around with minimum fuel.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
September 8, 2023 · about 11:41 pm local time
Place
Elk Grove Village, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare Intl · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Beech B200, built 1983 · all B200s on the register
Registration
N220KW · registry record · serial BB-1120
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that he had completed a charter flight and departed to pick up new passengers at an airport about 200 nautical miles away. While on approach to the destination airport, the previous passengers notified the pilot that they were ready to be picked up, so the pilot did not land and turned the airplane back toward the departure airport. The pilot climbed to 10,000 ft and noticed the airplane’s fuel burn was high, so he climbed to 16,000 ft. The pilot reported that “everything was routine until about a 3-mile final” to the runway, when the controller asked the pilot to slow to a final approach speed. An airplane was still on the runway, so the controller told the pilot to go around. The pilot told controllers twice that he had minimum fuel available. The pilot continued on a visual approach for the same runway when the right engine lost power followed by the left engine. He feathered both propellers and made a forced landing to a wooded area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot later stated that he was “trying to do too much with too little” fuel and the accident was a result of poor fuel management. Although the controller directed the pilot to go around, the pilot should have recognized the criticality of the minimum fuel situation and landed 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

  1. Fuel exhaustion during approach defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
  • Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
  • Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: commercial pilot, flight engineer
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 3,394 hours in all; 156.4 in this make and model; 32.7 in the last 90 days; 17.1 in the last 30 days; 3,252 as pilot in command
  • Last flight review: August 21, 2023
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: serious injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 9,817 hours
  • Last inspection: condition inspection, January 11, 2023
  • Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
  • Seats: 10
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42 (turboprop); 3,609 hours total
  • Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42 (turboprop); 3,609 hours total
  • Operator: Onyx Flight, Inc

The flight

  • Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 9:15 pm
  • Destination: ORD Chicago IL
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 9L, 7,500 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 020° at 11 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: broken clouds at 4,400 ft; a few clouds at 2,100 ft
  • Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
  • Observation at 6:51 pm from KORD, 4 miles away

Weather report (METAR): KORD 082351Z 02011KT 10SM FEW021 BKN044 18/13 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP191 60001 T01830133 10200 20178 50004

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 17, 2023. 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.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.