At 20:20 CST, a Beechcraft 200 ran off the end of the runway and into Lake Michigan during a failed takeoff attempt from runway 18 Meigs Field. The two pilots and one passenger were killed. The controller said the pilot called for taxi and said they were VFR to South Bend. Winds were calm, so the controller gave the pilot his choice of runways and the pilot requested runway 18. The airplane back-taxied onto the overrun for runway 18 and began the takeoff run. The controller said the plane had not rotated three-quarters of the way down the 3,900-foot runway. A witness on the ramp said the airplane didnt sound like most King Airs do at that point. The witness described the engine sound as being a lower pitch sound, not the high pitch sound you normally hear. The witness said that the airplane was bouncing up and down on the [gear] struts, and wasnt coming off the ground.
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