Beechcraft V35B N67311

Summary

On 16 August 2010 at about 21:15 local time, a Beechcraft V35B registered N67311, operated by Rosemead Properties Inc., was involved in an accident near Sacramento, California, 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

16 August 2010 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Sacramento, California, United States

Nearest airport

Sacramento Internatl Airport (SMF)

Coordinates

38.6953, -121.5906

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35B

Registration

N67311

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Rosemead Properties Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

El Monte → Davis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10LA408

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during descent due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to ensure that the fuel cap was secured during the preflight inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that prior to departing for the cross-country flight he had topped off the fuel in both fuel tanks. He took off with the fuel selector positioned to the left tank, and about 1 hour into the flight he switched to the right fuel tank. The remainder of the flight was uneventful until he started the airplane's descent to land. He stated that he switched the fuel selector back to the left fuel tank in preparation for landing. Shortly after he switched the fuel tank, the engine lost power. He repositioned the fuel selector to the right fuel tank and made an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. He initiated a forced landing to an open field, and during the descent the airplane struck power lines. The airplane landed hard in a wings-level attitude, substantially damaging the fuselage in the accident sequence. He reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident site that he had observed fuel leaking from the fuel cap after takeoff. During the on-scene examination of the airframe the FAA inspector observed fuel stains along the left wing originating from the fuel cap, which was consistent with fuel venting out of the wing. Recovery personnel recovered a minimal amount of fuel during the recovery process and reported that the fuel tanks had not been breached during the accident sequence. Examination of the engine found no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.