NTSB Factual Report

On April 30, 2002, at 0600 central daylight time, a multi-engine Cessna 411, N411CT, operated by a private pilot collided with the terrain during takeoff on runway 18 (4,015 feet by 75 feet, asphalt) at the Lee's Summit Municipal Airport (LXT), Lee's Summit, Missouri. The emergency exit door was found near the runway. The airplane collided with the terrain one-quarter to one-half mile south of the airport. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was destroyed by fire. The flight was being operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The intended destination of the was flight Harrisonville, Missouri.

The pilot reported "Loss of power" on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 that he submitted.

One witness located in a parking lot three-quarters of a mile from the departure end of runway 18 reported hearing the airplane as it took off. He reported that the airplane was much noisier than what he is used to hearing. He reported that when he first saw the airplane, it was in a steep left bank in a level pitch attitude. This witness reported the airplane continued in the left bank and began to descend rapidly as it turned to a more northerly heading. He stated the airplane was a couple hundred feet in the air. The airplane continued to descend at a 45 degree angle while in a 45 degree left bank. He reported the airplane appeared to bank to the right just prior to impacting the ground.

Another witness reported the airplane became airborne approximately three-quarters the way down the runway. This witness reported hearing what sounded like an engine backfire. He stated the airplane was in a shallow climb and appeared to be turning back toward the airport prior to him losing sight of it behind the trees. He stated he then saw the fireball from the impact.

A post accident inspection of the wreckage was conducted by inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Kansas City, Missouri, Flight Standards District Office. The inspectors reported that the emergency exit door from the airplane was found alongside the runway. This exit is a window exit that is on the right side of the airplane. The inspector reported that the latching mechanism on the exit was not damaged and the pins were not found with the exit. The inspection also revealed torsional twisting on the propeller blades.

One inspector from the FAA Kansas City, Missouri, Flight Standards District Office regularly flew out of LXT. This inspector stated that N411CT had been sitting at the airport for at least 15 years that he could recall. He stated that he did not think the airplane had been flown during that time period. It was reported that the pilot had recently purchased the airplane although it was still registered to the previous owner.

The pilot of the accident airplane held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot failed to maintain control of the airplane during the inital takeoff climb. Factors associated with the accident were the pilot's inadequate preflight of the airplane, the separation of the emergency exit, and the pilot's lack of a multi-engine rating.