Beechcraft A36 N1856W

Summary

On 30 July 2018 at about 15:00 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N1856W was involved in an accident near Brainerd, Minnesota, United States. 2 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.

Date

30 July 2018 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Brainerd, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Brainerd Lakes Rgnl (BRD)

Coordinates

46.3825, -94.1194

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N1856W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Poplar Grove → Brainerd

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

CEN18LA302

Nobody was injured.

Total loss of engine power due to a fuel supply interruption from the left tank for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in the subsequent forced landing into trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were on a 2-hour personal flight. Midway to the destination, the pilot switched the fuel selector from the right fuel tank to the left fuel tank. While on a visual approach about 1 hour later, the engine lost power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and he made a forced landing into trees, which resulted in damage to both wings. One week before the accident, while the pilot was flying the same route, the engine lost power while on a visual approach. The pilot switched the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank and landed uneventfully. After landing, he switched from the right tank to the left tank and repeated the process twice; the engine lost power both times with the left tank selected. Maintenance personnel were unable to determine a cause for the power loss events, and the pilot flew the airplane back to his home airport without incident. The accident occurred on the next flight. A review of engine data indicated that the four power loss events occurred when the left fuel tank was about half full (19 gallons) and that they were consistent with an interruption of fuel supply to the engine. Examination of the fuel system revealed that the fuel selector left detent was worn; however, because both in-flight power loss events occurred without the pilot moving the fuel selector, this issue is not relevant to the accident. No other anomalies were found with the fuel system, including the left-wing fuel tank (bladder) or venting system. Although the investigation was unable to identify any anomalies with the left fuel tank and venting system, the circumstances of the power loss events are consistent with a loss of fuel flow from the left tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.