Beechcraft V35B N390BC

Summary

On 14 April 2003 at about 12:40 local time, a Beechcraft V35B registered N390BC, operated by Thomas Hollister, was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, 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

14 April 2003 at 12:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.9875, -97.3186

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35B

Registration

N390BC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Thomas Hollister

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Roanoke → Ennis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA129

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to corrosion and contamination of the fuel system, and the partially blocked fuel lines and nozzles.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon accepting a clearance to climb to 3,500 feet msl the pilot increased power. As power was increased, the pilot noticed on the engine data management unit that there were "no bars illuminated for cylinder number 5." The pilot reported to Dallas-Fort Worth air traffic control that the airplane was experiencing engine problems and requested to divert to the nearest airport. Upon receiving directions to the nearest airport, the pilot noticed cylinder #4 "had no readout." He advised air traffic control that he was unable to make the airport and initiated a forced landing. During the landing flare, "airspeed bled so fast that the stall horn beeped and the airplane seemed to accelerate toward the ground." Subsequently, the airplane landed hard and came to rest upright in a grass field. Examination of the airframe fuel filter revealed that the fuel filter screen displayed evidence of corrosion, and the housing was full of fuel. Examination of the fuel manifold revealed the topside of the screen contained debris, the #3 fuel nozzle was blocked with contaminants, and debris was found in the #4, #5, and #6 fuel. The #1 manifold to fuel nozzle fuel line was found partially blocked.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.