Beechcraft 35-B33 N9772Y

Summary

On 18 July 2009 at about 02:45 local time, a Beechcraft 35-B33 registered N9772Y, operated by Michael Seely, was involved in an accident near Truckee, California, United States. One person was 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

18 July 2009 at 02:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Truckee, California, United States

Nearest airport

Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK)

Coordinates

39.3200, -120.1394

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-B33

Registration

N9772Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Michael Seely

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Truckee → Watsonville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09LA355

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power during initial climb for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed a preflight inspection, which included visually checking the fuel and oil levels. After starting the engine, all related instruments were in the normal operating range. The pilot then set up for a high-altitude takeoff, which included leaning the fuel mixture. He reported that the rotation was normal; however, at 400 feet above ground level (agl), the engine began to backfire and run rough. He enriched the mixture and engaged the auxiliary fuel pump with no change in engine operation. The stall warning horn sounded, so he lowered the nose and leveled the wings. The pilot stated that he thought he was at 300 feet agl when he began to look for a suitable landing area. He left the landing gear in the retracted position and held the airplane in a nose-high attitude until it impacted the ground. The airplane slid about 40 yards before it pivoted to the right and came to a stop. During the postaccident inspection, the engine was started and ran with no abnormalities noted. Additional testing of the fuel and ignition system components were accomplished. All components functioned on the manufacturer's test stands within specifications with no abnormalities detected.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.