Beechcraft 35-C33 N90LP

Summary

On 27 September 2009 at about 18:15 local time, a Beechcraft 35-C33 registered N90LP, operated by Erman David G, was involved in an accident near Tillamook, Oregon, 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

27 September 2009 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Tillamook, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Tillamook Airport (KTMK)

Coordinates

45.4203, -123.8142

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-C33

Registration

N90LP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Erman David G

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gleneden Beach → Astoria

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09CA467

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to visually verify that sufficient fuel was on board prior to flight. Contributing to the accident was a malfunctioning fuel gage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated during the preflight, he checked the fuel gages which indicated 12 gallons in the left wing and 18 gallons in the right wing. The right wing tank indicated just below half a tank. The pilot stated that "it is not possible to visually gauge the fuel quantity once the amount is below 30 gallons per tank," and that it is difficult to know exactly how much fuel is in the airplane. About 24 minutes after takeoff the pilot reported that the engine experienced initial indications of low fuel while operating from the left fuel tank. The pilot then switched to the right fuel tank. Instead of proceeding to his destination, 35 miles away, the pilot diverted to a closer airport, 15 miles away. After 5 minutes, the engine again demonstrated conditions consistent with low fuel. Not believing that he could make the runway, the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing in a cattle pasture about 1 mile from the airport. During the landing, the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing was structurally damaged. Post-accident inspection of the fuel system found that both fuel tanks were nearly empty of fuel. Inspection of the right fuel gage indicated about 1/3, when in fact the fuel tank was empty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.