Beechcraft C24R N1802N

Summary

On 22 August 2007 at about 21:00 local time, a Beechcraft C24R registered N1802N was involved in an accident near Niceville, Florida, United States. 4 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, 2 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

22 August 2007 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Niceville, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Ruckel Airport (FL17)

Coordinates

30.5197, -86.4383

Aircraft

Beechcraft C24R

Registration

N1802N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Niceville → Niceville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC07FA200

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection of the fuel quantity.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The Beech C24R was substantially damaged during the forced landing just after takeoff to the north from the 3,300-foot long, turf runway. The flight was the first flight of the day for the pilot and the airplane. The pilot filled the fuel tanks a few days prior to the accident, and had only flown the airplane once since then, for about 1 1/2 hours. The pilot estimated that that flight consumed approximately 18 of the 57 gallons of usable fuel. During the preflight inspection for the accident flight, the pilot did not look into the wing fuel tanks to check quantity as instructed by the pilot’s operating handbook, since based on his recent fueling and flight history, he "knew the status of the fuel." The takeoff was normal until approximately 80 feet above ground level, when the pilot experienced what he variously described as a "loss of power" or a "loss of airspeed." The airplane descended along the runway, and impacted the clearway, in a roughly wings-level attitude. Fuel purchase records and pilot flight records substantiated the pilot’s estimate of his takeoff fuel. However, only minimal amounts of fuel were detected at the accident site. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any indications of preexisting fuel leaks or other mechanical anomalies. Subsequent to the accident, the engine was successfully test-run.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.