Pilot Debrief

BEECH 95-B55 (T42A) near College Station, TX — 2011-11-10

Final reportCEN12CA079
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Date
2011-11-10
Location
College Station, TX, USA
Aircraft
BEECH 95-B55 (T42A)
Registration
N8188R
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power from both engines, which resulted from fuel exhaustion due to the pilot’s inadequate pre-flight preparation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, after 2.25 hours of cross country flight, the left engine lost power and began to surge. The pilot contacted air traffic control, declared an emergency, and asked the controller for vectors to the nearest airport. During the descent toward an abandoned airport, the left engine continued to surge, and the pilot adjusted the mixture controls to full rich on both engines, turned on the fuel boost pumps, checked the magnetos, and checked the fuel valves. As the airplane descended through 3,000 feet mean sea level, the right engine surged and lost power. The pilot assessed that he could not make it to the airport and decided to land on a farm road. While turning from base leg to final approach for the road, the pilot lowered the landing gear and assessed that he would not be able to reach the road. Subsequently, the airplane hit the tops of trees about 50 feet from the road and descended to the ground with the main landing gear touching down first. As the nose landing gear touched the ground, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the front of the fuselage and the rudder. Emergency responders to the accident scene reported that they did not see or smell the presence of fuel around the wreckage. An FAA inspector who responded to the accident site did not find evidence of fuel in the wreckage or the surrounding area. After the accident, the pilot initially said that he ran out of fuel and that he was not certain of the amount of fuel that was in the airplane when he departed on the flight. Later, the pilot reported that, based on a visual inspection, he estimated he had about 136 gallons of fuel on board prior to commencing the flight.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have verified fuel levels more accurately before departure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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