Beechcraft BE24 N9711L

Summary

On 26 July 1998 at about 17:30 local time, a Beechcraft BE24 registered N9711L was involved in an accident near Beckley, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 July 1998 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Beckley, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.7795, -81.1808

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE24

Registration

N9711L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD98LA084

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel supply in that the fuel selector was selected to the improper fuel tank, which resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was in cruise flight, approximately 15 minutes after departure, when the engine started to surge and sputter. The pilot turned to the departure airport and initiated a climb. He said he changed the fuel selector from the right tank position to the left, but '...nothing happened.' He moved the fuel selector back to the right tank, and selected a golf course for a forced landing site where the airplane struck trees and came to rest in a pond. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the right fuel tank was completely empty, not contaminated by water, and that the fuel selector was in the right tank position. The left tank contained approximately 27 gallons of fuel and an unknown quantity of water. The pilot reported he had 30 gallons of fuel on board at takeoff. The fuel system was examined and no evidence of fuel was found in the engine-driven fuel pump, fuel injector, or flow divider manifold. No evidence of fuel was found in the fuel line to the fuel pressure gauge. Examination of records revealed the airplane's most recent fuel service was for 23 gallons of fuel and that the airplane accumulated approximately 2 hours of flight time after the service.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.