Beechcraft 35 N666WW

Summary

On 26 August 2018 at about 17:55 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N666WW was involved in an accident near Bowman, North Dakota, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 August 2018 at 17:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Bowman, North Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Bowman (KBWW)

Coordinates

46.1653, -103.3008

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35

Registration

N666WW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1962

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bowman → Dickinson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA354

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot and the passenger departed on a cross-country personal flight; the pilot indicated that, shortly after takeoff, the engine started "sputtering" and then lost power. The pilot attempted to restore engine power to no avail and performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing spars. A postaccident examination of the airframe, fuel system, and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Although both main fuel tanks were full, further examination revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel lines, fuel, pump, or engine forward of the airplane firewall and fuel selector. Thus, it is likely that the fuel selector valve was not secured in the detent properly, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.