Beechcraft H35 N7942D

Summary

On 17 February 2009 at about 15:28 local time, a Beechcraft H35 registered N7942D, operated by Ronald L. Strahm, was involved in an accident near Grain Valley, Missouri, 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

17 February 2009 at 15:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Grain Valley, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

East Kansas City Airport (3GV)

Coordinates

39.0156, -94.2133

Aircraft

Beechcraft H35

Registration

N7942D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ronald L. Strahm

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grain Valley → Atchison

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09LA167

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation (mechanical). Contributing to the accident was the forced landing on unsuitable terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that shortly after takeoff, the aircraft's engine lost all power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but without success. He made a forced landing in an open field. During the landing roll-out, the left wing struck a tree causing the airplane to spin around. The wing's leading edge was wrinkled, the wing spar was damaged, and the nose gear strut assembly was sheared off. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies prior to the engine losing power. An examination of the airplane' s engine and engine driven fuel pump revealed "foreign matter under the pressure relief valve", which allowed "fuel to bypass" the carburetor and return to the fuel tank instead.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.