Beechcraft A35 N8402A

Summary

On 8 October 2010 at about 18:45 local time, a Beechcraft A35 registered N8402A was involved in an accident near Blue Diamond, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 October 2010 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Blue Diamond, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

36.0528, -115.4089

Aircraft

Beechcraft A35

Registration

N8402A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palm Springs → North Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA004

1 person died.

The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, during a cross-country flight, she flew the airplane about 1.5 hours with the right fuel tank selected. When the engine lost power, she stated that she switched the fuel selector to the left and auxiliary fuel tank positions during her attempts to restart the engine, but the engine would not restart. The pilot subsequently made a forced landing on a highway, and the airplane struck a dirt embankment during the landing roll. The airplane veered to the right, and the landing gear collapsed. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. None of the fuel tanks were damaged. The right fuel tank was empty and the left tank was almost completely full (it could not be determined whether there was fuel in the auxiliary tank). After the accident, the fuel selector was found selected to the right tank position. Examination of the fuel selector confirmed that the selector switch operated normally; however, the “fuel selector not engaged” light was not functioning. The pilot should have switched tanks earlier in the flight and did not properly manage the airplane’s fuel consumption. Although the fuel selector was found in the right tank position, it could not be determined whether the pilot placed the selector in that position or if the fuel selector was not engaged when she moved it to the left and auxiliary fuel positions. Under either circumstance, the engine was starved of fuel, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.