Beechcraft S35 N5751K

Summary

On 14 June 2003 at about 19:00 local time, a Beechcraft S35 registered N5751K, operated by Peter J. Vercouteren, was involved in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States. 3 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

14 June 2003 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.8000, -104.7000

Aircraft

Beechcraft S35

Registration

N5751K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Peter J. Vercouteren

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fond du Lac → Colorado Spring

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN03LA107

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision in which he mismanaged his fuel supply by failing to switch tanks resulting in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power. A contributing factor was the pilot's diverted attention.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While being vectored to avoid weather, the pilot lost track of his fuel situation and failed to switch tanks. While on approach the engine stopped. The pilot elected to touch down with the landing gear up and the flaps retracted. During the forced landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage. According to the pilot, when a salvage company retrieved the airplane from the field, approximately 2.5 hours of fuel was found in the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.