Beechcraft 35 N5540D

Summary

On 9 February 1999 at about 01:10 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N5540D was involved in an accident near Lincoln, Nebraska, 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.

Date

9 February 1999 at 01:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

40.9093, -96.7900

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35

Registration

N5540D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lincoln → Wahoo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI99LA084

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's failure to perform an aircraft preflight which resulted in him selecting a fuel tank which had insufficient fuel for the flight and the subsequent fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot last preflighted the airplane 2 days prior to the accident day. On the day of the accident he flew from Wahoo, NE, to Lincoln and was returning to Wahoo. Shortly after takeoff form Lincoln, at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,500 feet agl the engine lost power. The airplane was landed on a golf course near the airport. Post accident inspection revealed the left main fuel tank was empty. The right main and auxiliary tanks contained fuel. The pilot stated that he used the left main tank for the takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.