Pilot Debrief

BEECH A36 near El Dorado, AR — 2023-09-23

Final reportCEN23LA419
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Date
2023-09-23
Location
El Dorado, AR, USA
Airport
F43
Aircraft
BEECH A36
Registration
N67CD
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with terrain.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilots, the airplane operated normally during the first two hours of the cross-country instructional flight. The flight instructor reported he then noticed the fuel flow seemed a little high. When the flight instructor reduced the mixture setting, the engine began to run rough. The instructor increased the mixture, which smoothed the engine roughness. The engine ran rough again, and the instructor once again increased the mixture setting, which smoothed the engine roughness. The engine then ran rough two additional times; both times the instructor increased the mixture setting, causing the roughness to cease. The engine roughness occurred again but was worse than he previously experienced. The instructor increased the mixture control to its full forward position and decided to divert to an alternate airport. The engine lost power while en route to the alternate airport, and the flight instructor performed a hard gear-up forced landing in a field, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an adequate amount of fuel was present and a postaccident engine test run revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal engine operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Instructor could have diverted earlier when engine first ran rough.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents13

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