Beechcraft B N77MM

Summary

On 1 March 2018 at about 11:00 local time, a Beechcraft B registered N77MM, operated by Mike & Mayo Partners LP, was involved in an accident near Ferris, Texas, United States. One person was on board and 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

1 March 2018 at 11:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ferris, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.3014, -96.3722

Aircraft

Beechcraft B

Registration

N77MM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1982

Engines

2

Operator

Mike & Mayo Partners LP

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dallas → Mexia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA149

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper preflight inspection of the fuel level, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to lower the landing gear before the emergency landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot in the multi-engine, retractable landing gear airplane reported that, during an instrument flight rules cross-country flight, about 5,000 ft above mean sea level, the left engine surged several times and he performed an emergency engine shutdown. Shortly afterward, the right engine lost power. During the emergency descent, the airplane struck treetops, and landed hard in a field with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the engine mounts, and the lower fuselage. The pilot reported that he had requested 200 gallons of fuel from his home airport fixed base operator, but they did not fuel the airplane. The pilot did not check the fuel quantity during his preflight inspection. According to the Federal Aviation Administration Airplane Flying Handbook, Chapter 2, page 2-7, pilots must always positively confirm the fuel quantity by visually inspecting the fuel level in each tank. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.