Beechcraft 35-A33 N44CN

Summary

On 18 July 2003 at about 20:15 local time, a Beechcraft 35-A33 registered N44CN, operated by Roger Latham, was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 3 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

18 July 2003 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.9311, -97.4117

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-A33

Registration

N44CN

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Roger Latham

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nacogdoches → Fort Worth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA189

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of engine power due to the pilot's improper use of the mixture control. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to select the battery/alternator circuit, resulting in a loss of battery power, the pilot's failure to follow a checklist and the lack of suitable terrain for landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot executed a forced landing following a loss of engine power during a go-around. The 1,834-hour pilot stated that en route, the engine performance "appeared normal," however, he stated that Air Traffic Control communications became difficult. He reported to have had intermittent radio trouble with Air Route Traffic Control Center and Approach Control. The pilot contacted Flight Service Station and obtained a frequency for the Regional Approach Control. He received a new frequency, squawk and an assigned heading and altitude. The pilot reported that he experienced intermittent radio contact and heard a loud "buzzing" noise in his headset. At this time, the fuel gages "showed" a sudden change, indicating low fuel. The pilot announced to Regional Approach Control (in the blind) that he had lost radio contact and would proceed directly to T67, in accordance with the flight plan. The pilot configured the airplane for an approach to Runway 32. As he continued the approach, he stated that he visually confirmed that the flaps were extended but the landing gear had not fully extended. The pilot elected to initiate a go-around. He "pushed" all of the power controls forward, however he heard the engine "sputter" and reported that it did not produce enough power to induce a positive rate of climb. An examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear was found in the retracted position, and the landing gear control switch was found in the gear down position. The battery was removed and a gravity test was performed. The results were that the battery was "dead." The alternator was removed, tested for function, and passed. A total of 31.5 gallons of fuel was removed from the aircraft. The mixture control was found halfway between the full-rich and cut-off position. The owner stated "the engine roughness was due to the pilot's failure to push the mixture control to the full-rich position prior to the approach/landing."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.