Beechcraft 35 N1330Z

Summary

On 17 August 2018 at about 17:20 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N1330Z was involved in an accident near Mayport, Florida, 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

17 August 2018 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Mayport, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Mayport Ns (Adm David L Mcdona (NRB)

Coordinates

30.4183, -81.3675

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35

Registration

N1330Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rutherfordton → Ormond Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA227

Nobody was injured.

The failure of a fuel line due to improper installation of a fuel flow sensor, which resulted in fuel starvation and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was in cruise flight when the engine lost total power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. He contacted air traffic control and reported that he was unable to make it to the closest airport and ditched the airplane into the Atlantic Ocean. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both elevators had separated from the horizontal stabilizer during the ditching. Examination of the engine revealed that a fuel line that had been attached to the fuel flow sensor was broken. Detailed examination of the fracture surfaces on the broken fuel line fitting revealed features that were consistent with high-stress, low-cycle fatigue crack propagation. The crack initiated at the outside, progressing through the thickness of the aluminum fuel line and partially along its circumference until final overstress fracture. A review of the installation drawings and instructions revealed that the fuel flow sensor was installed without a mounting bracket per installation instructions. Given this information, it is likely that the fuel line fractured in fatigue due to the improper installation, and lack of support that would have been provided by the required bracket. The failure of the fuel line subsequently resulted in fuel starvation, and the total loss of engine power. While the available maintenance records detailed the installation of an engine monitoring device and accompanying cylinder head temperature probes, there were no records that indicated when the fuel flow sensor was installed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.