Pilot Debrief

BEECH BE-36 near Green Sea, SC — 2020-10-02

Final reportERA21LA002
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Date
2020-10-02
Location
Green Sea, SC, USA
Aircraft
BEECH BE-36
Registration
N656V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadvertent placement of the fuel selector in an intermediate position, which starved the engine of fuel and resulted in a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he moved the fuel selector from the auxiliary tank position to the right tank position and then initiated a descent to toward the destination airport. At that time, the engine “went back to idle, like someone had pulled the throttle back.” The pilot moved the propeller, throttle, and mixture levers full forward, checked switch positions, and tried all positions on the fuel selector, and power was not restored. He “bumped” the fuel boost pump to the ON position, then turned it off to prevent flooding of the engine. The pilot turned toward the nearest airport and the airplane collided with trees and terrain about 1 mile from the airport, resulting in substantial damage. Examination and testing of the engine and fuel selector resulted in a successful engine run, and the fuel selector functioned as designed with no anomalies noted. Comparisons of engine monitoring data, flight track data, and construction of the fuel system revealed signatures consistent with the fuel selector having been moved from the auxiliary tank position to an intermediate position before the right tank position, which stopped the flow of fuel. The fuel between the fuel selector and the engine provided power briefly, and then engine power stopped when the pilot initiated the descent, and the pilot’s remedial actions failed to restore engine power. A placard on the accident airplane’s fuel selector plate stated, “Warning: Position Selector in Detents Only. No Fuel Flow to Engine Between Detents.”

Analysis

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

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • FDR / data
  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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