Pilot Debrief

Beech 35 near Bowman, ND — 2018-08-26

Final reportCEN18LA354
Sign in to save
Date
2018-08-26
Location
Bowman, ND, USA
Airport
KBWW
Aircraft
Beech 35
Registration
N666WW
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot and the passenger departed on a cross-country personal flight; the pilot indicated that, shortly after takeoff, the engine started "sputtering" and then lost power. The pilot attempted to restore engine power to no avail and performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing spars. A postaccident examination of the airframe, fuel system, and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Although both main fuel tanks were full, further examination revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel lines, fuel, pump, or engine forward of the airplane firewall and fuel selector. Thus, it is likely that the fuel selector valve was not secured in the detent properly, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel selector position before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

Related mishaps