Beechcraft P-35 N7DR

Summary

On 29 May 2004 at about 17:35 local time, a Beechcraft P-35 registered N7DR was involved in an accident near Havre, Montana, United States. 4 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

29 May 2004 at 17:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Havre, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Havre City - County (HVR)

Coordinates

48.5494, -109.7500

Aircraft

Beechcraft P-35

Registration

N7DR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Havre → Big Sandy

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA04LA094

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during the initial climb after takeoff as a result of an unsecured fuel sender unit which resulted in a false fuel quantity indication.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that just after lift-off from runway 25, he verified a positive rate of climb and retracted the landing gear. Shortly thereafter, the pilot felt a slight hesitation in the engine. The pilot switched the fuel selector when the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing on the remaining runway. The aircraft touched down and the right main gear collapsed. The right wing contacted the runway surface and the aircraft spun around coming to rest near the end of the runway. Post-accident inspection of the engine found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction. Both fuel tanks were inspected for fuel and a trace amount of fuel was found in each fuel bladder. Inspection of the right wing inboard fuel sender found that the unit was unsecured. The left wings sender unit was secured. Both sender units were checked for cockpit indications. Both indicated empty when the float was extended to the bottom of the tanks and indicated fuel levels throughout the movement of the float from top to bottom. Approximately three gallons of fuel was put in the right side fuel tank to inspect for leaks. None were detected. The left wings piping structure had pulled out of the bladder connector during the accident sequence which allowed fuel to drain from the left fuel tank therefore fuel quantity could not be determined. The left and right side fuel tanks are not interconnected.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.