Beechcraft A36TC N1805D

Summary

On 15 November 2021 at about 13:45 local time, a Beechcraft A36TC registered N1805D was involved in an accident near Rockport, 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

15 November 2021 at 13:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rockport, Texas, United States

Coordinates

28.0808, -97.1220

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36TC

Registration

N1805D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Marcos → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA039

1 person had minor injuries.

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that, before departure for the 45-minute flight, the airplane contained 70 total gallons of fuel: 20 gallons in each wing tip tank and about 15 gallons in each main tank. Shortly after departure, the pilot switched the fuel selector from a main tank to the left tip tank. About 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot noticed “a trail of fuel being sucked out of both the left and right main [tank] gas caps.” The pilot decided to continue the flight because, at that time, the airplane was about halfway to the destination airport and the weather was favorable. In preparation for the visual approach, the pilot switched the fuel selector to the left main fuel tank. When the airplane was at an altitude of 1,200 ft and was about 4 miles from the runway, the engine “sputtered a couple of times and quit completely.” The pilot switched to the right main fuel tank, which indicated 1/2 fuel and attempted an engine restart that was unsuccessful. The pilot switched back to the left main fuel tank, which also indicated 1/2 fuel. The pilot recognized that the airplane was not going to make it to the runway, so he ditched the airplane into the water about 1.5 miles short of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings and ailerons. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The fuel selector was found in the left main fuel tank position. The engine and magnetos could not be functionally tested due to water immersion/damage. The enginedriven fuel pump was removed; residual fuel, consistent with aviation gasoline, drained from the fuel pump, and the drive spline was intact. Application of compressed air to the fuel system revealed the venting of air from the left and right fuel caps; no additional anomalies were noted with the fuel system. Both the left and right fuel caps showed evidence of water corrosion, and the cap O-rings appeared dry and pliable. Although the pilot reported observing fuel draining from the fuel caps, he also reported the airplane fuel tank indicators showed about one-half of the fuel capacity in each main fuel tank when the engine lost power. As a result, the reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available evidence for this investigation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.