Beechcraft BE23 N7657R

Summary

On 24 December 2005 at about 19:37 local time, a Beechcraft BE23 registered N7657R, operated by Fitzhugh L. Shelton III, was involved in an accident near Palatka, Florida, United States. 2 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

24 December 2005 at 19:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Palatka, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Kay Larkin Airport (28J)

Coordinates

29.6586, -81.6886

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE23

Registration

N7657R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Fitzhugh L. Shelton III

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pinehurst → Palatka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA06CA040

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he had planned a cross country flight from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to Ocala, Florida, with 2 fuel stops along the route. During the flight to the second fuel stop, the engine lost fuel pressure, and the airplane impacted trees during a forced landing on a road. Seven days before the accident flight, the airplane was topped off with fuel, and was flown in the area for about a 15 minute flight. The flight departed at about 0720, they landed at the first fuel stop at about 0920, and refueled the airplane with 20 gallons of fuel. He estimated that he had a total of 45 gallons of usable fuel on board for the flight to the second fuel stop. He stated that he would make a decision after 2 hours into the flight to determine if they would require a stop for fuel before reaching the second fuel stop, at a fuel consumption of 10 gallons per hour. He forecasted the flight to be 4 hours. Twenty minutes into the flight to the second fuel stop, they stopped at the Moore County Airport for a restroom stop, and departed at about 1130. During the engine run-up check for departure, he noted that he failed to reset the timer to monitor the fuel when he departed the first fuel stop. He reset the timer and made a mental note to include approximately 30 minutes extra when figuring the fuel status en route. At about 1530, about 12 miles from the second fuel stop, the pilot noted a loss of fuel pressure. He switched tanks, turned on the fuel pump, enriched the fuel mixture, and about 2 minutes later the fuel pressure was lost again. He advised Jacksonville Approach Control of his intentions to land on a road or in a field. A road was located and he glided the airplane to land. He noticed a gate along the landing path and maneuvered the airplane over the gate. As the airplane came back down, the left wing struck trees resulting in the airplane rotating counter clockwise before coming to a stop. He and the passenger exited the airplane, and called Flight Service to advise the authorities of what had happened. According to the passenger, they departed after 11:15 am from the Moore Airport that day. While en route, at about 3:00 pm, the engine sputtered as if it was running out of fuel. The pilot switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank and mentioned that they had enough fuel for a four hour trip, and that the right tank would be more than enough to get them to the airport. He had been regularly switching tanks during the flight. A few minutes later the engine sputtered again. The pilot said "this can't be happening; we have enough fuel for 4 hours". The engine went on and off and then lost power. The pilot stated to the NTSB and the FAA that he had experienced fuel exhaustion, due to miscalculation of the fuel and there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.