Beechcraft BE-36 N656V

Summary

On 2 October 2020 at about 00:04 local time, a Beechcraft BE-36 registered N656V was involved in an accident near Green Sea, South Carolina, 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

2 October 2020 at 00:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Green Sea, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.1812, -79.0307

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-36

Registration

N656V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greensboro → Myrtle Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA21LA002

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadvertent placement of the fuel selector in an intermediate position, which starved the engine of fuel and resulted in a 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 stated that he moved the fuel selector from the auxiliary tank position to the right tank position and then initiated a descent to toward the destination airport. At that time, the engine “went back to idle, like someone had pulled the throttle back.” The pilot moved the propeller, throttle, and mixture levers full forward, checked switch positions, and tried all positions on the fuel selector, and power was not restored. He “bumped” the fuel boost pump to the ON position, then turned it off to prevent flooding of the engine. The pilot turned toward the nearest airport and the airplane collided with trees and terrain about 1 mile from the airport, resulting in substantial damage. Examination and testing of the engine and fuel selector resulted in a successful engine run, and the fuel selector functioned as designed with no anomalies noted. Comparisons of engine monitoring data, flight track data, and construction of the fuel system revealed signatures consistent with the fuel selector having been moved from the auxiliary tank position to an intermediate position before the right tank position, which stopped the flow of fuel. The fuel between the fuel selector and the engine provided power briefly, and then engine power stopped when the pilot initiated the descent, and the pilot’s remedial actions failed to restore engine power. A placard on the accident airplane’s fuel selector plate stated, “Warning: Position Selector in Detents Only. No Fuel Flow to Engine Between Detents.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.