Beechcraft S35 N5642K

Summary

On 15 October 1996 at about 23:53 local time, a Beechcraft S35 registered N5642K was involved in an accident near Palo Alto, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 October 1996 at 23:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Palo Alto, California, United States

Nearest airport

Palo Alto (PAO)

Coordinates

37.4497, -122.1000

Aircraft

Beechcraft S35

Registration

N5642K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Thermal → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97LA020

Nobody was injured.

fuel starvation, due to the pilot's improper positioning of the fuel tank selector to an empty tank. Swampy terrain in the emergency landing area was a related factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he calculated that 60 gallons of fuel were onboard his airplane before taking off on the flight, and that fuel was located in the main and auxiliary tanks. En route, the pilot transferred all of the fuel from the tip tanks into the main tanks, and alternated using fuel from the main tanks. The pilot additionally reported that approaching Palo Alto, he repositioned the fuel selector toward the fullest tank. On final approach, all engine power was lost, and the pilot made a forced landing in a marsh area of the San Francisco Bay. The FAA coordinator reported that during examination of the airplane and surrounding marshland, no evidence of any oil or fuel leakage was found. The airplane was recovered, and its fuel tanks were found intact. The quantity of fuel observed in the left wing tip tank and the left main tank was 0.25 and 11.0 gallons, respectively. The quantity of fuel observed in the right wing tip tank and the right main tank was 0.75 and 0.50 gallons, respectively. During examination of the engine, no evidence of preimpact damage was found, and the engine was successfully test run.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.