Beechcraft 35-C33 N9438S

Summary

On 19 October 2003 at about 23:25 local time, a Beechcraft 35-C33 registered N9438S was involved in an accident near Mesquite, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 October 2003 at 23:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesquite, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Mesquite, Nevada (67L)

Coordinates

36.8436, -114.0492

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-C33

Registration

N9438S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → Mesquite

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04FA019

2 people died.

fuel starvation due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and fuel system management, and failure to select a fuel tank containing fuel. Also causal was the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with terrain about 100 yards from the airport boundary fence at the approach end of runway 19. One of the airplane's owners completed a 1.4-hour flight with the certified flight instructor (CFI) immediately before the accident flight. He started with 30 gallons in each main tank and 6 gallons in each tip tank. He said that they burned fuel out of the left main tank during the flight at a rate of about 13 gallons per hour. He left the fuel selector valve on the left main tank. After the owner's flight with the CFI, he observed the pilot under instruction and the CFI do a walk around inspection of the airplane. He did not see them refuel. After a ground briefing, they did a 15- to 20-minute run up before taking off. Based on the airplane's performance charts, the estimated time from the departure point to the accident site was 30 minutes. Based on the owner's historical fuel consumption, the estimated minimum fuel consumed on the accident flight would have been 7 gallons in addition to the estimated 19 gallons used by the owner on the previous flight. The left wing did not burn; however, the left main tank had been compromised in the impact sequence. Fire consumed the right wing and its associated fuel tanks. The propeller exhibited minimal damage, consistent with either no power or idle power at ground impact. The airplane had a single throw over control yoke, and it was to the left side. The landing gear was down, and the flaps were in the full down position. The fuel selector valve was on the left main tank. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were identified during the wreckage examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.