Beechcraft C24R N6222Q

Summary

On 10 July 2014 at about 15:50 local time, a Beechcraft C24R registered N6222Q, operated by Southeast Aviation Services, Inc., was involved in an accident near Titusville, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 July 2014 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Titusville, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Arthur Dunn Airpark (X21)

Coordinates

26.6092, -80.8247

Aircraft

Beechcraft C24R

Registration

N6222Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1982

Engines

1

Operator

Southeast Aviation Services, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Titusville → Titusville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA336

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to secure the fuel strainer drain during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while conducting a preflight inspection, he looked inside the wing fuel tanks and estimated that there was about 27 gallons of fuel. He then departed on a local flight to test the avionics and autopilot system. While returning to the airport after an approximate 1-hour flight, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and the pilot attempted a forced landing on the roof of a building. The airplane crashed through the roof, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and flight control surfaces. No visible fuel or fuel odor was noted at the accident site. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both fuel tanks had been breached and were void of fuel. The fuel strainer sump, which sits forward of the firewall below the fuselage, was found in the open-and-locked position. When the strainer valve's tangs were pushed up and rotated counter-clockwise, the sump remained in the open-and-locked position. The sump sprang back to the closed position when the tangs were pushed up and released. Postaccident fuel consumption calculations and fuel strainer drain testing revealed that the airplane would have burned through and lost about 28 gallons of fuel during the approximate 1-hour flight with the strainer drain not properly secured.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.