Beechcraft G36 N536BB

Summary

On 23 July 2011 at about 14:30 local time, a Beechcraft G36 registered N536BB, operated by Alan E. Kinsel, was involved in an accident near Hailey, Idaho, 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

23 July 2011 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hailey, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Friedman Memorial Airport (KSUN)

Coordinates

43.5036, -114.2956

Aircraft

Beechcraft G36

Registration

N536BB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Alan E. Kinsel

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hailey → Aurora

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11FA349

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertent activation of the auxiliary fuel pump, which resulted in a loss of engine power during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, he retracted the landing gear, and the engine lost power. The pilot lowered the landing gear and landed on the remaining runway. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a taxiway sign. The Garmin G1000 integrated flight instrument system data was extracted for analysis. The unit recorded flight and engine data for the time between engine start and the accident. The data revealed that during takeoff and initial climb the engine's fuel flow supply increased from about 35 gallons per hour (gph) to about 45 gph. Shortly thereafter, the engine's exhaust gas temperatures (egt) and rotations per minute (rpm) decreased to sub idle parameters. The airplane is equipped with a dual-speed, dual-pressure, electric vane-type auxiliary fuel pump. The pump is controlled by a single, three-position switch located on the pilot's subpanel to the left of the landing gear handle. The flight manual for the airplane includes a statement that reads "use of the auxiliary fuel pump in the HI position may cause an excessively rich mixture and severely reduce available engine power or even cause the engine to cease combustion completely. The HI position should not be used for takeoff unless there is a failure of the engine driven fuel pump." The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll he may have inadvertently switched the auxiliary fuel pump to the HI position. Because the auxiliary fuel pump toggle switch is located adjacent to the landing gear handle, it is likely that the pilot mistakenly toggled the fuel switch instead of the landing gear handle. Postaccident examination revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.