Beechcraft BE-D35 N3468B

Summary

On 6 August 2005 at about 15:45 local time, a Beechcraft BE-D35 registered N3468B was involved in an accident near Decatur, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

6 August 2005 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Decatur, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Decatur Regional Airport (DCU)

Coordinates

34.6186, -87.0517

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-D35

Registration

N3468B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Decatur → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL05FA139

1 person died.

The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel supply, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, and subsequent inadvertent stall/spin during the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff from the Decatur Pryor Airport, in Decatur, Alabama, witnesses, observed the airplane at about 100 to 150 feet above a tree line near the crash site. The airplane was nose high and slow, and no engine sound was reported. Witnesses stated that the airplane nosed up slightly, rolled left, then pitched nose down and then collided with the ground. The airplane wreckage was located in a heavily wooded area, near a cotton field to the south of the accident site about 5.6 nautical miles southwest of the airport. On scene examination of the accident found the airplane resting on its partially extended landing gear on a 095-degree magnetic heading, with the engine in a 45-degree nose down angle. Examination of the cockpit found the fuel selector on the right fuel tank. Examination of the right fuel tank found it intact with 3 ounces of fuel remaining. There was no fuel found in the engine fuel lines or fuel pump. There were no mechanical problems reported by the pilot or discovered during the post-accident examination of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.