Beechcraft 23 N2353Z

Summary

On 27 October 2021 at about 21:50 local time, a Beechcraft 23 registered N2353Z was involved in an accident near Ballston Spa, New York, United States. 2 people were 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

27 October 2021 at 21:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Ballston Spa, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Saratoga County (5B2)

Coordinates

43.0428, -73.8711

Aircraft

Beechcraft 23

Registration

N2353Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Saratoga Springs → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA033

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s and student pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning and improper in-flight fuel management, 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

The student pilot measured 1 inch of fuel in the right tank and 3 inches of fuel in the left tank using a stick during the preflight inspection. Based on fuel consumption calculations from a multi-day flight home after purchasing the airplane out of state, he determined that the fuel measurements represented 5 hours of flying time. After about 2 hours and 20 minutes of flight in the practice area and performing eight touch-and-go takeoffs and landings, all while using the left fuel tank, the engine lost total power, and the propeller continued to windmill. The flight instructor took control of the airplane but was unable to restore engine power. During the forced landing, the instructor pitched up to avoid power lines, heard the stall warning horn, and the airplane then descended to the ground and landed hard, substantially damaging the right wing. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of fuel in the left tank, fuel lines, gascolator, or fuel pump. The right fuel tank contained about 1 inch of fuel. No other preimpact anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation were observed; therefore, it is likely that the engine lost power when the fuel in the left tank was exhausted. The pilots’ previous calculation of the airplane’s fuel burn rate during a previous cross-country flight did not take into consideration prolonged flight without leaning the mixture or the multiple landings on the accident flight. The flight instructor stated that neither he nor the student performed the appropriate preflight fuel planning.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.