Cessna 414 "Chancellor" Crashes into Marsh, Seriously Injuring Seven

On October 8, 2020, about 11:15 local time, a Cessna 414, N8132Q, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida. The two private pilots and five passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Part 91 personal flight.

According to the multiengine-rated private pilot seated in the right front seat (copilot), after engine start and taxi, the pilot performed a run-up and did not notice any irregularities. As the pilot taxied onto the runway for takeoff, the copilot checked the takeoff trim setting, which gave him a clear view of the pilot's control yoke. He did not notice the presence of the control lock. The pilot then applied the brakes and advanced the throttles to full power. At full RPM, the pilot released the brakes. Shortly into the takeoff roll, the copilot felt a brief "slight shudder," which appeared to come from the controls. As they continued down the runway, the copilot realized they should have rotated for liftoff; he observed that they were about 10 to 15 mph past the "blue line" (119 mph), but the airplane was on the runway, continuing to accelerate. The copilot looked at the pilot, who was looking down at the controls and trying to determine why he was unable to move the yoke. The copilot tried to pull back on the yoke, but it would not move. The copilot pulled the throttles to idle and applied max braking. He estimated they were doing between "120 and 130 knots" when the takeoff was aborted.

The airplane came to rest about 450' beyond the departure end of runway 14. The airplane spun around and came to rest nose-down in a marshy area, partially submerged in about 5 feet of water. The fuselage, wings, and empennage weere substantially damaged.

The pilot reported he performed the preflight, taxi, and runup according to the checklist and there was nothing unusual. The pilot further stated that he always removes the control lock per the checklist and that, when the flight controls appeared jammed during the accident takeoff roll, he looked down and observed that there was no control lock in place. He also stated that when he removes the control lock, he puts it in his flight bag but that a shoulder injury may have led to the control lock missing the flight bag, which is why the control lock was found behind the rudder pedals. Due to a head injury, the pilot remembered no additional details about the accident.

During a follow-up interview, the copilot stated he could not recall if the pilot left the control lock installed during preflight, or whether the pilot may have attempted to remove it during the takeoff roll.

During impact, the stabilizer/elevator assembly was torn from its attachments, but both sides remained attached to their respective locations, and the elevator control rigging was intact and operational. The control lock holes for both left and right sides yokes had no signs of elongation or damage. Examination of the elevator flight control rigging in addition to functional checks of the elevator confirmed continuity and functionality of the elevator. No pre-impact anomalies with the airframe or flight controls were noted.

The control lock was located on the left side of the cockpit under the far-left rudder/brake pedal and showed no signs of damage. The control lock was about 12" long and consisted of a metal rod in a "7" shape that slid into the control yoke on one end; on the opposing end there was a red and yellow streamer attached. The witness video shown here shows the airplane as it began to taxi on the ramp. Still images captured from the video show the elevator was in the trailing-edge-down position with the elevator horns above the horizontal stabilizer. An exemplar airplane with a control lock installed was used for reference and showed the elevator in a trailing-edge-down position with the elevator horns above the horizontal stabilizer surface. The accident airplane's exact elevator position, although similar to the exemplar airplane with control lock installed, could not be determined.

A video study determined that the airplane was accelerating through 100 knots with about 1,800' (of 4,300') of runway remaining. Airplane performance data indicated that the airplane should have taken off at 2,185' down the 4,300' runway. The weight and balance of the airplane were within limitations.

According to the manufacturer's preflight and before takeoff checklists, the flight control lock must be removed prior to engine start, and flight controls must be checked prior to takeoff.

00:00 Initial taxi
00:30 Takeoff
01:00 Surveillance video
01:27 Zoomed in
01:54 Photos
02:32 Control lock position
03:16 FAA inspector's report
04:30 Copilot's statement
05:38 NTSB copilot Q&A
07:03 Pilot statement, through copilot
07:38 Notes from NTSB call with pilot
08:14 Control lock photos
08:46 Pilot logs
09:02 Maintenance records
09:06 Report of accident
10:55 Maintenance records

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