March 15, Dravosburg, Pa. / Beech BE-76 Duchess

At about 12:37 EST, a Beech Duchess crashed while on approach to the Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh. The pilot and one passenger were killed and two passengers were seriously injured. The flight originated from Hampton, Ga., about 4 hours before the accident. The pilot flew the VOR Runway 5 approach. The tower controller reported that the airplane was in sight and cleared the pilot to land on runway 31. The pilot acknowledged the controller, and a short time later requested runway 28. No further statements were heard from the pilot, and when the controller looked for the airplane, he could no longer see it. Witnesses near the accident site reported they did not hear any engine noises. The airplane came to rest on a residential street, and a fire erupted outboard of the left engine. On examination of the wreckage, no fuel was found in the fuel lines on the right engine, and a few drops were drained from the left engine. The right propeller blades displayed damage consistent with the engine not producing power. The left propeller blades showed that the engine was developing only slight power or the blades were windmilling. Investigators totaled the weights of the occupants and the baggage found at the accident site and the airplanes gross weight at take off was estimated to be 437 pounds over the maximum gross weight.