Beechcraft 36TC N36MN

Summary

On 25 April 1999 at about 17:07 local time, a Beechcraft 36TC registered N36MN was involved in an accident near Lake Elsinore, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 April 1999 at 17:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Elsinore, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Beechcraft 36TC

Registration

N36MN

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Thermal → Chino

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA164

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation due to the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection procedures and his failure to accurately determine the amount of fuel onboard prior to departure. A factor in the accident was the erratic fuel quantity sensor in the left fuel tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the aircraft had been in a local paint shop for the past 60 days for repainting. This was the first flight after the aircraft was picked up. The pilot reported that he had not used a dipstick to accurately determine the fuel load on the airplane, but rather used a method relying on the gages and consumption calculations. On the morning of the accident, he decided to fly from his home base to an airport in the Southern California interior and did this using the right fuel tank. On engine start for the return leg, he selected the left tank and was en route when the engine smoothly quit. He switched fuel tanks, turned on the electric boost pump and attempted to obtain a restart, without success. As the aircraft descended, he selected a clear area on the shoulder of the interstate highway for a landing. Nearing touchdown, he had to maneuver to avoid a highway sign and the right wing contacted the back of a pickup truck. The pilot further reported that as the aircraft touched down, the engine restarted and went to full power. The aircraft was recovered without the necessity of disassembly or disturbance to any aircraft system. The fuel tanks and lines were intact with no evidence of leakage. One pint of fuel was drained from the left tank while the right tank contained 15 gallons. The fuel indicating system was examined and the right tank sending unit and cockpit gage was found to be accurate. The left tank sending unit and gage displayed erratic indications of quantity. On initial power up the left tank gage displayed 3/4 tank. Subsequent shutdowns and power ups of the system yielded tank quantity indications of 1/4, full, and 3/4 again. No discrepancies were noted with the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.