Beechcraft 35-B33 N6841Q

Summary

On 13 April 2013 at about 19:21 local time, a Beechcraft 35-B33 registered N6841Q was involved in an accident near San Manuel, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 April 2013 at 19:21

Classification

Accident

Location

San Manuel, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

San Manuel (E77)

Coordinates

32.6308, -110.6342

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-B33

Registration

N6841Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Queen Creek → San Manuel

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA190

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during the landing approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to follow the emergency checklist and switch tanks. Contributing to the severity of the pilot's injuries was the lack of a shoulder harness restraint.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot overflew the airport and performed a 360-degree descending left turn to join the downwind leg for landing. As the pilot began the turn to final, the airplane's engine did not respond when he attempted to increase power. With limited time to troubleshoot, the pilot turned on the auxiliary fuel pump; the engine did not respond, and he performed a forced landing short of the runway. The pilot intended to land at the airport to refuel. The left fuel tank quantity indicator gauge was inoperative, so he could not provide an accurate assessment of its quantity. The left fuel tank was selected during the entire approach sequence, and although 10 gallons of fuel were present in that tank after the accident, it had been breached, so an accurate assessment of the quantity before the accident could not be made. The right tank contained 12 gallons of fuel. The pilot surmised that fuel flow may have been restored if he had switched to the right fuel tank when the engine lost power, as was required by the emergency checklist. The Pilot's Operating Handbook required that the fuel tanks contain a minimum of 10 gallons each to perform basic aerobatic maneuvers. While such maneuvers were not performed, the sweeping nature of the 360-degree descending left turn prior to landing may have forced fuel away from the tanks' supply line, resulting in fuel starvation. The engine monitor revealed that power was actually lost during that turn rather than on the base leg, further supporting this theory. Additionally, residual quantities of fuel were noted in the remaining fuel supply lines to the firewall, and no fuel was present in the lines forward of the engine driven fuel pump, bolstering the likelihood that fuel starvation occurred. A postimpact examination did not reveal any mechanical anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was equipped with lap belt restraints, which did not have provisions for a shoulder harness. The pilot sustained injuries to his upper body during the accident sequence, which would likely have been less severe had the airplane been equipped with either a shoulder or multi-point harness.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.