Beechcraft V35B N4523A

Summary

On 23 December 2015 at about 21:20 local time, a Beechcraft V35B registered N4523A, operated by Beech V-35 LLC, was involved in an accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 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 December 2015 at 21:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Tahlequah Municipal Airport (TQH)

Coordinates

35.9303, -95.0044

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35B

Registration

N4523A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Beech V-35 LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tahlequah → Sand Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA082

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff due to an inadequately tightened fuel line. Also causal was the pilot's failure to extend the landing gear once the airplane was in a position to safely land on the runway.

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, about 2.5 miles from the departure airport, the airplane experienced a significant loss of engine power while climbing through 2,500 ft mean sea level. He made an immediate turn back toward the airport for a forced landing. The pilot was initially concerned that the airplane might not have enough altitude to reach the runway, and he decided to keep the landing gear and flaps retracted. The pilot stated that he became distracted with the forced landing and forgot to extend the landing gear once the airplane was in a position to safely to land on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage when it landed gear-up on the runway. A postaccident engine test revealed a significant leak from a loose fuel line connection where the airframe fuel supply connected to the mechanical fuel pump inlet. After tightening the loose fuel line connection, the engine started and operated normally. The postaccident examination and testing did not reveal any additional anomalies that would have resulted in a loss of engine power during the accident flight. The engine had accumulated 10.8 hours since its most recent overhaul. It is likely that the mechanic who reinstalled the engine following the recent overhaul did not adequately tighten the airframe fuel supply line to the mechanical fuel pump inlet. The loose connection likely resulted in cavitation within the mechanical fuel pump, which provided abnormal fuel flow to the engine fuel servo, and resulted in a partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.