Beechcraft V35A N8323N

Summary

On 10 March 1996 at about 05:55 local time, a Beechcraft V35A registered N8323N was involved in an accident near Clinton, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 March 1996 at 05:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Clinton, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

30.8604, -91.0094

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35A

Registration

N8323N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jackson → Baton Rouge

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW96LA144

2 people were seriously injured.

the pilot's improper positioning of the fuel selector which resulted in fuel starvation. Factors were the dark night light condition and the worn spark plugs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the night cross-country flight, the engine lost power and a forced landing ensued. The airplane touched down with a 'heavy vertical impact.' Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tank selector was in the right tank position; however, the right wing tank was empty. The left tank contained approximately 9 gallons of fuel. The pilot reported that he was operating on the right tank when the power loss occurred, and that he switched to the left tank and attempted to restart the engine several times without success. All 12 of the spark plugs were found to have excessive plug gap, and testing of 2 of the plugs revealed that they would not fire over 40 PSI of pressure. Properly gapped spark plugs should fire steadily when tested up to pressures of 115 to 135 psi.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.