Beechcraft A35 N8428A

Summary

On 27 March 2002 at about 15:15 local time, a Beechcraft A35 registered N8428A was involved in an accident near Rio Linda, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 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

27 March 2002 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Rio Linda, California, United States

Nearest airport

Rio Linda Airport (Q94)

Coordinates

38.6750, -121.4444

Aircraft

Beechcraft A35

Registration

N8428A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rio Linda → Concord

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02LA117

4 people were seriously injured.

the loss of engine power as a result of fuel starvation due to the pilot's inadequate fuel system management and failure to follow procedures and directives in the Pilot Operating Handbook listed by the manufacturer.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane landed "flat and hard" off the end of the runway then slid into a creek bed after a loss of engine power in the takeoff initial climb. Ground witnesses said the airplane achieved about 100 feet of altitude after liftoff then the engine coughed and lost power. The pilot said that he ran the engine up off the tip tanks, and after he was satisfied that the engine was running smoothly, switched to the left main tank for takeoff. After the engine coughed and quit, he switched on the electric auxiliary fuel pump and ensured that he was operating off the left main tank, but did not have time to attempt a restart. A California Highway Patrol pilot officer was the first to arrive on the accident scene and turned the tip tank fuel selector valve from the LEFT to the OFF position. Subsequent examination of the selector panel by an FAA inspector found the main fuel valve in the right main tank position; however, this was after the fire department said it's personnel had "moved several switches and levers" in order to secure the cockpit. Fuel tank documentation found that the left and right mains contained about 7.5 gallons and 5 gallons, respectively; the left tip tank was empty, and the right tip tank destroyed. There was no sign of fuel leakage on the ground below the left tip tank. The fuel supply line to the carburetor was loosened and about 1 tablespoon of fuel was recovered from the line. The Owner's Manual states several times that "in no case should a takeoff be made if the fuel indicators are in the yellow band or, with less than 10 gallons of fuel in each of the main tanks." According to Raytheon Aircraft, this warning is due to the location of the fuel pickups in the tanks on this model aircraft, which would allow unporting and fuel supply interruption with steep attitudes, turning type ground maneuvers during takeoffs, or uncoordinated flight. Following recovery of the airplane to a salvage yard, the engine was mounted on a test stand, and it started on the first attempt and accelerated smoothly with normal throttle response and magneto operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.