Beechcraft A35 N8597A
17 March 1998 · Auburn, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 17 March 1998 at about 21:45 local time, a Beechcraft A35 registered N8597A was involved in an accident near Auburn, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Auburn, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Auburn Muni (AUN)
- Coordinates
- 38.9193, -121.0698
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A35
- Registration
- N8597A
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Byron
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98FA119
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
failure of the engine driven fuel pump drive coupling and the pilot's failure to perform the emergency procedure specified in the Pilot Operating Handbook.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane's engine lost power during the initial climb after departure, and the pilot performed a 180-degree turn back towards the airport, but landed short of the runway. The airplane was equipped with a hand operated emergency fuel pump, which was part of the fuel selector valve. The emergency procedures section of the POH states that the emergency hand pump should be used to restore fuel pressure in the event of an engine driven pump failure. The pilot stated that he never attempted to use the emergency hand fuel pump. An on-scene examination revealed fuel in both main tanks. Examination of the engine driven Lear-Romec fuel pump coupling found it had sheared and separated. Internal examination of the pump revealed bluing of the steel pump vane tips and galling of the pump liner. According to the manufacturer, the pump at some time had been operated without fuel, which cools the vanes, and had overheated. Metallurgical examination of the failed fuel pump coupling revealed that it separated due to ductile torsional overstress at a designed location. According to records available, the pump had accumulated about 619 hours since overhaul with an unknown total time.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft A35 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Sep 1998 | Beechcraft A35 | Christmasvalley, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 May 1999 | Beechcraft A35 | Phillipsburg, Ohio, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 1996 | Beechcraft A35 | Siloam Springs, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 1995 | Beechcraft A35 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Perry Pemberton | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 1995 | Beechcraft A35 | Jacksonville, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 2001 | Beechcraft A35 | Moab, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1998 | Cessna 152 | Avalon, California, United States | Orange County Flight Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Grumman TS-2A | Banning, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Aug 1998 | North American NAVION | Salinas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B | Salinas, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Robinson R22B | Ramona, California, United States | Civic Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1998 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Porterville, California, United States | U.s. Dept. of the Interior | No injuries | - |