Plane Crash List

Beechcraft F-35 N5030B

8 May 2003 · Anacortes, Washington, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 8 May 2003 at about 20:30 local time, a Beechcraft F-35 registered N5030B was involved in an accident near Anacortes, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 20:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Anacortes, Washington, United States
Coordinates
48.5500, -122.5500
Aircraft
Beechcraft F-35
Registration
N5030B
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Burlington → Burlington
Aircraft damage
Destroyed
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
SEA03LA078

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The pilot's inadvertent selection of the incorrect fuel tank selector position (OFF) while in cruise flight over open water, and his failure to activate the fuel wobble-pump. A contributing factor was the unsuitable terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, whose plan it was to fly around the local area for about 45 minutes, he attempted to switch to an auxiliary fuel tank in order to maintain a specific amount of fuel in each main tank. But while moving the fuel tank selector lever, he inadvertently turned the fuel selector to the OFF position. Soon thereafter the engine lost power, and the pilot moved the selector back to the left main tank. He then expected the windmilling engine to start running again, but because he forgot to activate the fuel wobble-pump, the engine did not restart. Because he was over water, he donned a floatation vest and flew the aircraft to a power-off landing on the water's surface. After ditching, the pilot exited the aircraft, and was soon thereafter picked up by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fishing ship. According to the pilot, there did not seem to be any problems with the aircraft's fuel system or engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Beechcraft F-35 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
5 Jul 2003 Beechcraft F-35
N205
Middlesboro, Kentucky, United States - Fatal 2
28 Dec 2002 Beechcraft F-35
N3367C
Addison, Texas, United States - Fatal 1
25 Dec 2002 Beechcraft F-35
N4268B
Hollywood, Florida, United States - No injuries -
8 Apr 2007 Beechcraft F-35
N3329C
Wheatland, Wyoming, United States - No injuries -
22 Dec 1992 Beechcraft F-35
N4266B
Collegeville, Pennsylvania, United States
no coordinates
James Wawrzyniak Serious injuries -
24 Jun 1979 Beechcraft F-35
N3354C
Napa, California, United States
no coordinates
- No injuries -

All 16 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
10 Nov 2003 Cessna 150C
N7934Z
Toledo, Washington, United States - No injuries -
12 Jun 2003 Rockwell S-2R
N8468V
Royal City, Washington, United States - No injuries -
2 Oct 2003 Cessna 340
N2695S
Blakely Island, Washington, United States - Minor injuries -
17 Jan 2003 Classic Fighter ME-262 REPRODUCTION
N262AZ
Everett, Washington, United States Wolfgang Czaia No injuries -
15 Jun 2003 Cessna 172P
N9566L
Seattle, Washington, United States - No injuries -
10 Jul 2003 Hanks AVID FLYER
N3086G
Toledo, Washington, United States - Serious injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States