Pilot Debrief

Beech 35 near Lexington, KY — 2019-01-26

Final reportERA19LA083
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Date
2019-01-26
Location
Lexington, KY, USA
Airport
LEX
Aircraft
Beech 35
Registration
N6136V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's improper slip maneuver on final approach, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the airplane was high on the approach and he performed a slip to descend the airplane to his desired approach angle. About 1,000 feet above ground level, the pilot added engine power to maintain his approach angle, and the engine did not respond. The pilot performed a forced landing to a horse farm, where fences dividing the pastures substantially damaged the airplane during landing. After the accident, about 15 gallons of fuel were recovered from the left main fuel tank and about 16 gallons were recovered from the right main fuel tank. Each tank had a total capacity of 40 gallons. A placard mounted on the instrument panel cautioned: "Avoid prolonged slips (20 seconds or more) with fuel tanks less than half full." Examination of the airplane and a postaccident engine run revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. It is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel starvation.

NTSB coding

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