Beechcraft 60 N50JR

Summary

On 29 January 2020 at about 23:10 local time, a Beechcraft 60 registered N50JR was involved in an accident near Big Spring, 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

29 January 2020 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Spring, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Edwards Lucian Wells Ranch (TX31)

Coordinates

32.0597, -101.5858

Aircraft

Beechcraft 60

Registration

N50JR

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Abilene → Odessa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20TA071

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power in both engines due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted in a landing short of the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight at a cruise altitude of 10,500 ft mean sea level when the left engine lost all power. He secured the engine and elected to continue to his destination. Shortly thereafter, the right engine lost all power. After selecting an airport for a forced landing, he overflew the runway and entered the pattern. The pilot stated that on short final, after extending the landing gear, "the plane quit flying and the airspeed went to nothing." The airplane landed 200 to 300 yards short of the runway threshold, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. During a postaccident examination, only tablespoons of fuel were drained from the left tank. Due to the position of the airplane, the right tank could not be drained; however, when power was applied to the airplane, both fuel quantity gauges indicated empty fuel tanks. Neither fuel tank was breached during the accident, and there was no discoloration present on either of the wings or engine nacelles to indicate a fuel leak; therefore, the loss of engine power is consistent with fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.