Pilot Debrief

BEECH A36 near Oklahoma City, OK — 2023-06-04

Final reportCEN23LA224
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Date
2023-06-04
Location
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Airport
HSD
Aircraft
BEECH A36
Registration
N9169Q
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

A loss of engine power during approach for landing for undetermined reasons.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he flew west of the departure airport and practiced several turns before returning to perform several landings. During the descent to the airport, he switched fuel tanks from the left to the right fuel tank. The left fuel tank indication was just above the yellow arc, and the right fuel tank indication was about 3/8 of a tank. While the airplane was on the base leg for landing, the engine began to run rough and sustained a loss of engine power. The pilot switched fuel tanks, turned the boost pump on, and tried the ignition, but he was unable to restore engine power. The pilot then performed a forced landing to a road about one mile south of the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the horizonal stabilizer. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the airplane fuel selector was in the left fuel tank position, the auxiliary fuel pump was on, and the mixture was full rich. The left and right fuel tanks contained about 10 gallons of fuel, which indicated in the yellow arc of both fuel gauges. A postaccident engine run was performed at engine speeds of 1,800 rpm and 2,300 rpm with the fuel selector positioned to the right fuel tank, and there were no anomalies that precluded engine operation. The fuel selector operated normally. The engine-driven pump, fuel control assembly, injector distributor valve, fuel injector lines, and fuel injectors were then removed for functional testing; no anomalies were noted.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have ensured fuel indicators were above yellow arc before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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