Save the Checks: Turboprop Hauling Flight Faces Harrowing Double-Engine Failure

After not being able to get in a word edgewise with ATC, without warning, the right engine quit.

Brian Thomson

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

[Illustration credit: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

A pilot's first solo flight as PIC in a Turbo Commander resulted in a dual engine failure due to fuel siphoning from a deteriorated fuel cap seal, forcing an emergency dead-stick landing in deteriorating weather.
Facing numerous challenges, including partial landing gear extension, inoperative flaps, and near-zero visibility, the pilot executed a challenging landing that overran the runway, injuring both occupants but saving the cargo and earning him the nickname "Save the Checks."
The accident highlighted the critical importance of competent aircraft maintenance, thorough pre-buy inspections, and a reliable support team to prevent mechanical failures, especially in older aircraft, enabling the pilot to continue a long and accident-free career.

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I was flying for a check hauling company (which will remain anonymous), upgrading from Beech Barons to the AC680W Turbo Commander. The aircraft training consisted of a week (Monday through Friday) flying my normal route from Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina, and back to Atlanta.

Friday evening, with a blessing from the company instructor, I was released to fly as PIC. The evening of Saturday, November 20, 1983, I would take my first flight as PIC in the Turbo Commander and single pilot.