Beechcraft A36 N3078Y

Summary

On 27 April 2014 at about 18:25 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N3078Y, operated by Dakota N8465S LLC, was involved in an accident near Wann, Oklahoma, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 April 2014 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Wann, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

36.9411, -95.7528

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N3078Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1987

Engines

1

Operator

Dakota N8465S LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Washington → Claremore

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA218

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and planning and inflight fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing in an area of unsuitable terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed on the accident flight, and after flying 1 hour 18 minutes using fuel from the left tank, the pilot switched fuel tanks, and the engine lost power. (A passenger reported that there was a strong headwind, so the pilot was diverting for fuel.) Attempts to restore power were unsuccessful. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane's right wing collided with a tree before the airplane impacted terrain. The pilot said that, before departure on the accident flight, he had 20 gallons of fuel in each wing fuel tank. However, postaccident examination revealed no fuel in the uncompromised left wing fuel tank. The right wing fuel tank had been compromised, but there were no fuel stains on the ground and there was no odor of fuel in the immediate area. Later, the engine was functionally tested and operated satisfactorily at all power settings. Thus, the airplane likely departed with minimal fuel available in the right wing fuel tank; when the pilot selected the right tank during cruise flight, the engine likely lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.