Beechcraft A36 N8240U

Summary

On 23 January 2004 at about 02:16 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N8240U was involved in an accident near Farmington, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 January 2004 at 02:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Farmington, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Four Corners Regional (FMN)

Coordinates

36.7505, -108.1791

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N8240U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farmington → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DEN04LA040

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision making and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in fuel starvation/exhaustion and a stall spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed Farmington at approximately 1500 for a 3-hour cross-country flight to Canyonlands, Utah, Page, Arizona, and then back to Farmington. The pilot returned to Farmington at approximately 1800. On his return, the pilot requested from the tower clearance to do a few take-offs and landings. He completed nine take-off and landings. Each landing was a full stop, taxi-back, and subsequent take-off (as required by a local training policy). At approximately 1910, the pilot contacted the tower and asked for clearance to take-off and fly the pattern for a tenth time. At approximately 1915, the pilot reported that he had lost engine power. Witnesses stated that the airplane was flying at a low altitude when its wings began to dip side to side. The airplane then pitched nose-up, rolled over, dove, and struck the roof of a police station. An examination of the airplane revealed approximately 4 gallons of fuel in the right wing tank, fuel in the fuel strainer, and no fuel in the lines. No other anomalies were found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.