Beechcraft H35 N5537D
18 December 2010 · Des Moines, Iowa, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 December 2010 at about 21:10 local time, a Beechcraft H35 registered N5537D was involved in an accident near Des Moines, Iowa, United States. 3 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.
The record
- Date
- at 21:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Des Moines, Iowa, United States
- Nearest airport
- Des Moines International (DSM)
- Coordinates
- 41.5342, -93.6631
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft H35
- Registration
- N5537D
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Des Moines → Des Moines
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN11LA148
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel planning.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that a few minutes after takeoff the airplane's alternator indicated a discharge condition. He elected to return to the departure airport. On final approach to land, about 100 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. The airplane impacted short of the runway, striking an airport security fence. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel strainer and fuel line to the engine contained no fuel. The fuel selector was found in the OFF position. When moved to the main or auxiliary tank positions fuel flowed to the fuel line at the engine. About 2 gallons of fuel remained in the left main tank and about 3 gallons in each auxiliary tank. There was no fuel visible in the right main fuel tank. The unusable fuel for each main tank is 3 gallons, and 0.5 gallon for each auxiliary tank. No other anomalies were found with the airplane's systems. The pilot said that he had departed with the fuel selector set to the left main fuel tank as required by the pilot’s operating handbook.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft H35 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jul 2010 | Beechcraft H35 | Green Lake, Wisconsin, United States | Michael A. Lella | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 2009 | Beechcraft H35 | Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 2009 | Beechcraft H35 | Grain Valley, Missouri, United States | Ronald L. Strahm | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 2008 | Beechcraft H35 | Bay City, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2012 | Beechcraft H35 | Holly Lake Ranch, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Jan 2013 | Beechcraft H35 | Palm Coast, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2010 | Beechcraft A36 | Lidderdale, Iowa, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 23 Jul 2010 | Bell 206B | New Hampton, Iowa, United States | Topside Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2010 | McCulley Ronald W-8 | Lamoni, Iowa, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 2010 | Air Tractor 502B | Whittemore, Iowa, United States | Josh Aukes | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 2010 | Cessna 150L | Boone, Iowa, United States | Drake Aerial Enterprises LLC DBA | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Apr 2010 | Boeing 767 | Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States | American Airlines | Serious injuries | - |