Beechcraft A36 N336CB

Summary

On 18 August 2002 at about 04:35 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N336CB was involved in an accident near Benton, Kansas, United States. 5 people were 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

18 August 2002 at 04:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Benton, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

37.7796, -97.0997

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N336CB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lawrence → Wichita

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CHI02LA258

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper fuel management, the pilot's improper remedial actions during engine restart, and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing. Additional factors included the inadequate flare and the dark night.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that during cruise flight at 8,000 feet msl, he "noted sluggish and erratic fuel gauge needle trends on the left gauge." The pilot reported that the engine began to run rough during descent from 8,000 feet. The pilot reported he immediately switched to the right fuel tank and activated the low boost pump. He reported the engine "spooled down." He established a 110 knot glide attitude. He then set the electric fuel pump to high boost and the mixture control to full rich. The engine restarted briefly, then stopped. The pilot executed a forced landing to a field. He reported that he "did not have sufficient visual references with which to accurately flare so we impacted the ground at approximately 85 kts indicated." The inspection of the airplane revealed that the right fuel tank contained about 25 gallons of fuel. The left fuel tank was de-fueled and 3 gallons and 8 ounces of fuel was removed from the tank. The aircraft placard states that the unusable fuel is 3 gallons. The Pilot Operating Handbook states the following information concerning the operation to the Auxiliary Fuel Pump Switch: "The HI position is used for priming the engine during cold starts and also to provide an alternate source of fuel pressure in the event the engine-driven fuel pump fails. HI boost must not be used during flight unless the engine-driven fuel pump has failed. The increased pressure of the HI boost will over-drive the fuel control unit producing abnormally high fuel flows which, in turn, will cause engine roughness. In some cases, engine combustion may cease."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.