Beechcraft A23-24 N5676S

Summary

On 17 April 1984 at about 08:40 local time, a Beechcraft A23-24 registered N5676S, operated by James Porter/Steven Lewis, was involved in an accident near Bowman, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

17 April 1984 at 08:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Bowman, California, United States

Coordinates

39.2404, -120.0691

Aircraft

Beechcraft A23-24

Registration

N5676S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

James Porter/Steven Lewis

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fair Oaks → Reno

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX84FA259

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

ON A FLT FROM FAIR OAKS, CA, TO RENO, NV, A FLT OF ABOUT 1 HR 15 MINS, THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A TOTAL POWER LOSS. THE PLT ASKED THE PAX TO SELECT THE OTHER FUEL TANK. THE SELCTOR HANDLE WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE VALVE. BUT THE PAX LOCATED THE HANDLE AND TURNED THE VALVE. THIS ACTION DID NOT AID IN RESTARTING THE ENGINE. DURING A FORCED LANDING AT NIGHT, THE ACFT STRUCK A TREE, AN ELECTRIC CABLE, THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND. AN INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE WAS IN THE 'OFF' POSITION. BEECH SERVICE INSTRUCTION NO 1095, WHICH PROVIDED FOR STOPS ON THE FUEL VALVE TO PRECLUDE INADVERTENT SELECTION OF THE OFF POSITION HAD NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE ACFT HAD FLOWN 6 HRS PREVIOUSLY WITHOUT REFUELING. NORMAL ENDURANCE IS 6-1/2 HRS. ABOUT 6 GALS OF FUEL REMAINED IN THE RIGHT TANK. THE PLT, A FORMER ARMY AVIATOR, HELD NO FAA PLT RATINGS. A TOXICOLOGY TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.177%.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.