Pilot Debrief

BEECH A36TC near Rockport, TX — 2021-11-15

Final reportCEN22LA039
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Date
2021-11-15
Location
Rockport, TX, USA
Aircraft
BEECH A36TC
Registration
N1805D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

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

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 engine driven 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.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have landed immediately after noticing fuel trail from gas caps.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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