Beechcraft H35 N5554D

Summary

On 6 July 1998 at about 02:25 local time, a Beechcraft H35 registered N5554D, operated by John Kirk, was involved in an accident near Marshall, Texas, 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

6 July 1998 at 02:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Marshall, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Harrison County (ASL)

Coordinates

32.5303, -94.3507

Aircraft

Beechcraft H35

Registration

N5554D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John Kirk

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Longview → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

FTW98LA300

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the improper position of the fuel selector. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in this make and model of airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted terrain during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power after takeoff. The pilot maneuvered the airplane back towards the runway, and during the descent, the airplane contacted a tree branch. The airplane came to rest upright, the pilot switched the fuel valve selector to the 'OFF' position, and exited the airplane. The pilot did not report the position of the fuel valve selector at the time the loss of engine power occurred. Examination of the airplane at the site revealed that the fuel selector switch was in 'OFF' position and the fuel quantity indicator switch was in the 'RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK' position. The right wing fuel tank and both auxiliary fuel tanks were full of fuel. The left wing fuel tank contained minimal fuel. Additionally, the fuel line leading to the engine driven fuel pump was removed and observed to be dry. Fuel was manually pumped through the fuel line, the system appeared to operate normally and no leaks were found. Out of a total flight time of 800 hours, the pilot had 13 hours in the accident make and model.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.