In 1986, I flew a Beechcraft Baron 58 each night carrying canceled bank checks from Baltimore to Richmond, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Philadelphia and back to BWI, departing at about 10 p.m. and returning by 6 a.m. the next morning. I was part of a network of check-carrying general aviation aircraft that crisscrossed the nation each night.
Engine Trouble on a Nighttime Check Run
Key Takeaways:
- During a routine nighttime check-carrying flight in 1986, a pilot experienced a critical in-flight emergency when his Beechcraft Baron's right propeller overspeeded, violently broke apart, and damaged the aircraft's nose.
- Despite severe shaking, unreadable instruments, and uncertainty regarding the integrity of the nose landing gear, the pilot skillfully declared an emergency and successfully performed a single-engine visual approach and landing.
- Immediately after the harrowing incident, the pilot prioritized delivering the bank checks, and later learned the propeller was due for an overhaul, with a broken counterweight band identified as the root cause.
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