Beechcraft 35 N602BH

Summary

On 8 June 2019 at about 21:00 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N602BH was involved in an accident near Medford, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

8 June 2019 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Medford, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Rogue Valley Intl - Medford (MFR)

Coordinates

42.3517, -122.8606

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35

Registration

N602BH

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Medford → Boise

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19TA162

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s mismanagement of fuel onboard, which resulted in a total 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

During the daytime visual flight rules flight, the private pilot experienced engine trouble. He was able to keep the engine running utilizing the auxiliary fuel pump and diverted to the departure airport.  The pilot was unable to make it to the airport and descended into a residential neighborhood where the airplane was substantially damaged when it struck a tree. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the main fuel tanks had a sufficient quantity of fuel and that the auxiliary fuel tank was nearly empty.  The fuel selector valve handle was found in the auxiliary fuel tank position.  It is likely the pilot did not position the fuel selector switch to one of the main fuel tanks prior to consuming all the useable fuel in the auxiliary tank. This omission likely resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.